The types of plastics and process
Plastic is one the most used products in modern day production with plastic being used to create products or packaging many products on the market. Plastic is used in a wide range of products to meet a board range of consumer needs. Plastic that is used in production is mostly made up of high polymers organic materials.
This type of plastic contains carbon and is made by the connection of sizable chain like molecules. These molecules are made up of polymers which are the components that make plastic when they transform from large molecules to small molecules or shortly after the process is complete. The way different types of plastics are made is by the process undertaken when connecting the large molecules together. Linking the different molecules produces different types of compounds and strengths of plastic.
The plastic that are produced by the linking molecules can be divided in two group’s types of plastics that are created by the different process. The two types of plastic that are created at the product stage are thermoplastics and thermosets which are a collect of different molecule strings. Thermoplastic plastic or materials are a collect of molecules in long string and molecules that are connected to string or other molecules. This allows thermoplastics a certain amount of flexibility as they can be re-melted or solidified without a chemical reaction happening through a complex heating and cooling process. This type of plastic is a greener way of production as any used products can be reused when process over products. Also this type of plastic is generally easy to transport and can be shipped in many forms such pallets or sheet plastic.
Thermosets plastic are a little less robust than thermoplastics as they can be used after product as taken place as they are made up from a cross linked string of molecules. Thermosets is a wasteful form as production as they can’t be re-used and can lead to large amount of waste. Thermosets come in two main forms this can be liquid form or a power that is general partially polymerized, these types of Thermosets are supplied to manufacturers to be used in the product process. Thermosets are very easy to use in the product process as it is easy to create the required style with applying pressure; the process of production is applied via heat or chemicals.
In summary there is no clear line between Thermoplastics or Thermosets and modern day manufactures use a combination of the two processes to create plastic products.
Two of the key plastic processes in industry today are polyurethane moulding and injection moulding. Both of these processes make up a significant portion of the UK plastic creating industry.
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