EFFECT OF POLYMER

PROPERTIES ON PROCESS
TECHNIQUES

N.DURAI
EFFECT OF POLYMER PROPERTIES ON
PROCESS TECHNIQUE

* When processing thermoplastic melts

the following factors should be taken into
account in order both to process efficiently
and obtain quality products.

• Water absorption of Raw

materials
• Physical form of raw material.
• Thermal stability of polymer
• Flow properties
• Adhesion of melt to metal
• Thermal properties affecting

heating and cooling of melt.

• Compressibility and shrinkage
• Frozen in Orientation.
 WATER ABSORPTION

 Water / Moisture is the greatest

enemy for processing of plastics.
 Hygroscopic Materials
 Absorption phenomena
Ex: Nylon, POM, PC.
 Adsorption phenomena
Ex: HIPS, PS, ABS.
 All these materials should be
pre-dried.
 Non-Hygroscopic material
Ex: PVC, Polyolefins, etc.
 Actions Necessary
 Use granules as soon as the bag
is opened.
 Pre-drying ovens, Hopper drier,
Dehumidifying drier can be
used.
 For PC - Dehumidifying drier
preferable.
 PHYSICAL FORM OF RAW MATERIAL
 Powder Form, Granular Form, Lumpy/Slab Form
 Slab Form
Calendering,Compression Moulding
 Granular Form
Preferred.
Uniform pellet size ensures even and faster
feeding.
Powder Form
Difficulty in feeding
But savings in cost because of the ability to
avoid pelleting stage
Special feeder attachment essential.
Thermal stability of polymers
PVC thermally sensitive material
Little higher melt temp. may lead to
depredation - HCL is released.
This can leads to corrosion and harmful to
human being.
PMMA, POM upon depredation liberates MMA &
formaldehyde respectively.
MMA volatilize and cause bubbles.
Formaldehyde gas causes “eye-irritation”.
PVC & POM (acetal) should never be processed one
after the other. This may lead to explosion.
 FLOW PROPERTIES

 Plastics are Non-Newtonian Fluids, I.e

Temperature Dependent Viscosity.
High MFT I.e low viscosity grade for
injection moulding
Low MFI (High Viscosity Grade) for
Extrusion & Blow Moulding

ADHESION OF MELT TO METAL

 Wetting of the polymer melt against the

metal wall of processing equipment can lead
to strong adhesion of polymer to metal.
Ex difficulty in removing PVC - Mix from
two roll mill.
PC has a strong adhesion to metal. It
can take away the skin of the barrel.
 THERMAL PROPERTIES AFFECTING
HEATING AND COOLING

 In the case of polymer melts the specific

heat varies with temperature.
 For crystalline polymers such as POM, NYLON
etc. latent heat of fusion and sp.heat should be
taken in to account.
I.e Total heat content (Enthalpy) =LH of
fusion + sp.heat.
POLYMER PROCESS TEMP 0C ENTHALPY
KJ/KG
PS 200 310
LDPE 200 500
HDPE 260 810

PP 260 670

 Because of higher enthalpy PP requires

more cooling time that LDPE and PS.
 COOLING SHRINKAGE AND COMPRESSIBILITY
* When polymers are in molten stage the vibrations
of the molecules results in the polymer chain being
pushed apart so that the volume occupied by a given
polymer mass is higher than when the material is
solid.
------------------------------------------------------------
POLYMER DENSITY AT 20 C DENSITY AT PROCESS
(G/CC) TEMP(G/CC)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
LDPE 0.923 0.746(210c)
PP 0.905 0.765(210c)
PMMA 1.180 1.105(210c)
SPVC 1.48 1.390(190c)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Because polymer melts are compressible moulding

shrinkage is much less than the above fig.
FROZEN-IN ORIENTATION
• When polymer melts are being shaped by either
injection moulding or Extrusion the long polymer
chains tend to be elongated or uncoiled in the general
direction of flow.
•After shaping the melt is usually cooled rapidly and
there is seldom time for the oriented molecules to
return to a random coiled shape by the process known
as relaxation. Some orientation is thus “Frozen-in”
the product.
•Such stressed parts are very weak. Hence annealing