What is the Advantage and Disadvantage of thermoplastic compounds

Thermoplastics Explained

Thermoplastics have revolutionized modern industries with their adaptability, durability, and wide range of applications. These versatile polymers offer engineers and designers materials that can be molded and reshaped repeatedly without altering their chemical properties.

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Piedmont Plastics supplies various thermoplastic materials for countless applications across the construction, automotive, medical, and consumer goods sectors. Understanding the technical aspects of thermoplastics will help you make informed decisions about material selection for your specific needs.

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What Are Thermoplastics?

Thermoplastics are polymers that become pliable or moldable at elevated temperatures and harden upon cooling. This heating and cooling cycle can be repeated multiple times without changing the material's chemical structure, making thermoplastics unique for their recyclability and versatility.

Thermoplastics' molecular structure' chains of repeating units held together by weak intermolecular forces'enables them to be reshaped and reused. Unlike thermosetting plastics (thermosets), which cannot be remolded after the curing process, thermoplastics can be repeatedly melted and reformed, making them an ideal choice for sustainable manufacturing.

Thermoplastics Available at Piedmont Plastics

At Piedmont Plastics, we offer a wide selection of thermoplastics, each with specific properties tailored to different industries. Here are some of the key thermoplastic materials available:

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a high-performance thermoplastic known for its exceptional impact resistance, optical clarity, and heat resistance. Its ability to withstand extreme conditions makes it ideal for safety shields, automotive headlamp lenses, greenhouse panels, and industrial machinery guards. Polycarbonate's ability to maintain structural integrity in both low and high temperatures makes it a favored material in demanding environments.

Technical Specs Impact resistance: 250 times stronger than glass Heat resistance: Usable up to 135°C (275°F) Recyclability: Polycarbonate is recyclable, but it requires careful sorting to remove additives like UV stabilizers.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

ABS is known for its toughness, lightweight properties, and ease of processing. It is widely used in automotive components, electronics housings, and consumer products due to its excellent impact resistance and dimensional stability. ABS can withstand mechanical stress without cracking or breaking, making it ideal for structural applications.

Technical Specs Tensile strength: 40 MPa (Megapascal) Heat deflection temperature: 90-100°C Impact strength: Moderately high, ideal for automotive interiors and consumer electronics

Acrylic

Acrylic, known as polymethyl methacrylate, is a transparent thermoplastic with superior optical clarity. It is often used as a lightweight, shatter-resistant alternative to glass in applications like windows, displays, aquariums, and signage. Acrylic is UV-resistant and retains its clarity over time, making it suitable for outdoor applications.

Technical Specs Light transmittance: 92%, which exceeds that of glass Impact resistance: 10 times stronger than glass, though less durable than polycarbonate Weather resistance: Acrylic is highly resistant to yellowing and maintains clarity under prolonged UV exposure.

PETG

PETG combines the durability of PET with the flexibility and easy processing of glycol modification. It is commonly used in medical packaging, food containers, and 3D printing applications. PETG is FDA-approved for food contact and is resistant to many chemicals, making it a preferred material for medical devices and consumer packaging.

Technical Specs Chemical resistance: Resistant to alcohols, acids, and diluted bases Heat resistance: Up to 70°C (158°F) Impact resistance: Higher than acrylic but lower than polycarbonate, suitable for moderate-load applications

Nylon

Nylon is valued for its toughness, flexibility, and excellent abrasion resistance. It is commonly used in automotive components, mechanical gears, and textiles. Nylon's ability to absorb impact and resist wear makes it ideal for high mechanical strength applications.

Technical Specs Tensile strength: Up to 85 MPa Heat deflection temperature: Up to 180°C (356°F) in certain grades Abrasion resistance: Extremely high, ideal for gears, bearings, and high-wear components

Advantages and Considerations of Thermoplastics

Advantages:

Thermoplastics provide a range of benefits that make them suitable for various industries.

Recyclability

The ability to be reshaped and reused multiple times without losing mechanical properties makes thermoplastics an environmentally friendly choice. Many thermoplastics, such as PETG and polycarbonate, can be recycled, reducing material waste and supporting sustainable manufacturing practices.

Impact Resistance

Many thermoplastics, including polycarbonate and ABS, offer high impact resistance, making them ideal for applications requiring toughness and durability. Polycarbonate, for example, is 250 times stronger than glass, which makes it an excellent choice for safety applications.

Versatility in Design

Thermoplastics can be molded into complex geometries, allowing creative design freedom. This particularly benefits automotive and consumer goods industries, where lightweight, durable, and intricately shaped components are necessary.

Cost-Efficiency in Production

Thermoplastics are well-suited for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing processes, including injection molding and extrusion. This efficiency helps lower production costs while maintaining excellent precision in part fabrication.

Limitations

However, there are also limitations to thermoplastics:

Heat Sensitivity

While thermoplastics like polycarbonate offer excellent heat resistance, others may soften or deform at lower temperatures, limiting their use in high-temperature applications. PETG, for instance, begins to lose structural integrity above 70°C.

UV Degradation

Prolonged exposure to UV light can cause certain thermoplastics, such as polycarbonate, to turn yellow or become brittle over time, though UV-resistant coatings can mitigate this issue.

Chemical Sensitivity

Some thermoplastics are more resistant to chemicals than others. Polycarbonate can be degraded by exposure to certain solvents, while PETG and acrylic offer better chemical resistance.

Need Professional Help?

Thermoplastics offer many properties that make them essential materials in today's industries. Thermoplastics provide the versatility and performance necessary to meet these demands, whether you need high-impact resistance, chemical stability, or optical clarity. From construction to automotive and electronics, our team of experts is ready to help you choose the right thermoplastic for your application.

What is a thermoset?

Thermosets are a type of polymer that undergo a chemical reaction when heated, creating a three-dimensional network of bonded molecules. This process is irreversible, meaning once thermosets have been set, they cannot be melted or reshaped. Thermosets are typically hard, strong, and have excellent resistance to heat and chemicals.

A thermoset is a polymer that forms irreversible chemical bonds during the curing process. Unlike thermoplastics that can be melted and remould multiple times, thermosets (as their names suggest) are set in a permanent physical and chemical composition after the first curing process. This occurs as polymers in the material 'cross-link', performing an unbreakable, irreversible bond. This unique feature makes thermosetting polymers an excellent choice for parts that need to have excellent dimensional stability at elevated temperatures.

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Thermosetting Polymers

Thermosetting polymers, also known as thermosets, are a type of polymer that undergoes a chemical reaction when heated, resulting in a three-dimensional network of bonded molecules. This process is irreversible, meaning that once the thermoset has been formed, it cannot be melted or reshaped.

What is the Difference Between Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Plastic?

Thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics are two distinct types of polymers with different behaviours under heat. Thermoplastics can be heated, cooled and reshaped repeatedly without altering their chemical structure. In contrast, thermosetting plastics undergo a chemical change when heated, forming irreversible bonds that set their shape permanently.

Difference between thermoplastics and thermosets

The critical difference between thermoplastics and thermosets is how the materials behave during the curing process. Thermosets strengthen when cured but form chemical bonds that make them impossible to remould. Thermoplastics do not form any chemical bond when curing, making them re-mouldable and recyclable. This three-dimensional bonding in thermosets makes them stronger and more heat resistant than thermoplastics.

Thermosets' ability to retain their strength and geometry when exposed to elevated temperatures set them apart from thermoplastics. Thermosets will often degrade before melting when exposed to excess heat. These properties mean plastics can be used as a low-cost replacement for metals in some applications.

In a nutshell, thermosets generally have greater physical properties than thermoplastics; however they cannot be remoulded and recycled.

Thermoset materials

• Melamine
• Epoxy
• Polyester
• Silicone
• Urea-formaldehyde
• Polyurethane
• Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
• Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)

Thermoplastic materials

• ABS
• Acrylic (PMMA)
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Nylon
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polycarbonate (PC)
• Acetal Copolymer Polyoxymethylene (POM-C)
• Acetal Homopolymer Polyoxymethylene (POM-H)

Unsure of the best material to use? You can find out more about the best materials to injection mould in our guide: Choosing the right injection moulding material.

Advantages of thermosets

' High-temperature resistance

' Good chemical resistance

' Excellent dimensional stability

' High Strength, toughness and rigidity

Disadvantages of thermosets

' Non-recyclable (cannot be remoulded)

' Poor thermal conductivity (e.g. for electrical housing)

' Brittle

Advantages of thermoplastics

' Eco-friendly and recyclable

' Excellent impact resistance

' Better aesthetic finishing

' Good adhesion to metals

Disadvantages of thermoplastics

' Can degrade when exposed to UV

' May soften when exposed to heat

' Can be more expensive than a thermoset

Example of a thermoset in use

Silicon is an excellent example of a thermoset that has a wide range of applications, its most popular being in the electrical industry. The cross-linking bonds discussed earlier make silicon excellent at remaining stable over a wide temperature range (up to 250 degrees C). Partnered with its flexibility, tear strength and chemical resistance, silicon is ideally suited for the demands of electrical wire insulation.

Example of thermoplastic in use

One of the most popular thermoplastic parts produced has to be the LEGO brick. LEGO is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, ABS for short. ABS is a great choice of material as it is strong, has great dimensional stability, so bricks fit together and are resistant to colour fading. The one downside of ABS is that you cannot manufacture transparent parts, so polycarbonate (another thermoplastic) is used to create transparent bricks.

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