High quality products manufactured with great accuracy, quickly and in large numbers – Thermoplastic injection molding is definitely one of the most popular manufacturing methods. The use of thermoplastic materials has seen an upsurge due to the growing demands of manufacturing quality plastic products for diverse industries.

Thermoplastic, made from polymer resins becomes a homogenized liquid when heated and gets hardened when cooled. The materials used for Injection molding process brings in its own unique features while guaranteeing best performance. Apart from thermoplastic polymers, one can also use thermosetting plastic or Elastomer which provides equally great results with Injection molding.

Advanced injection molding techniques and molds have offered better prospects, reduced costs and better appearance of the end product. There are different types of thermoplastic materials which are used in the molding process like

• ABS

  – With high impact strength, scratch resistance and durability Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is in great demand for a wide range of applications. ABS is mostly used by the automobile industry for manufacturing radiator grilles, instrument panels, wheel covers and mirror housings. There are several consumer electronic goods like laundry irons, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners and many more which are manufacturing by thermoplastic injection molding process.

• Polypropylene

  – This type of thermoplastic is generally preferred in industries where one needs high flexibility, lightness, great shape and longevity. Mostly used in the manufacturing and packaging industry because of its good chemical resistance and attractive shape, Polypropylene is used for manufacturing washing machine drums, automotive parts, plumbing equipment etc.

• Acrylic

  – The hardness of Polymethyl Methacrylate is comparable to Aluminum and it finds great use in the manufacture of lenses, control panels etc. Last few years have seen a growing demand for thermoplastic injection molding manufacturing process.

• Polyethylene

  – The high density material exhibits diverse characteristics like chemical resistance, high heat distortion temperature and stiffness making it ideal for manufacturing fuel tanks, refrigerator containers, food storage boxes etc.

• Polystyrene

  – Characterized by high gloss, transparency and high strength, this type of thermoplastic polymer is used for manufacturing products of diverse colors. Ideal for use in packaging and toys industries due to its crystal clear quality. There is a higher impact variety of the same material which is used in the manufacture of toilet seats, refrigerator linings etc.

The thermoplastic injection molding process starts with the addition of pellets to a hopper. Thereafter, the material is passed through a heated barrel where the rotation of the screw initiates a shearing action causing the pellets to melt. The molten plastic is then pushed through the barrel towards the mold. The material is pushed at high pressure such that the mold cavities are completely filled. Once the cooling cycle ends, the mold is opened to release the molded parts manufactured by thermoplastic injection molding process.

There are few subcategories under injection molding process which includes mold labeling, foamed injection molding or gas assisted injection molding etc. Mass production without compromising on quality and price makes thermoplastic injection molding one of the most sought after engineering process of large scale manufacturing. It is important to understand that each of the thermoplastic processing technique is unique and can be tailored to suit your requirements. There are various diverse industries which benefits from the myriad advantages offered by thermoplastic injection molding process like Aerospace industry, Toy manufacturing, Household goods manufacturing, construction and many more.

In a variety of manufacturing and industrial processes, there’s a need for polyurethane resin impregnation – an easy process of filling porous material using polyurethane resins, as well as making it impervious. The process assists in addressing issues associated with micro porosity in powder-metal parts, metal castings, plastic composites, electronic components, welds, and additional porous substrates – if gone untreated, it might result in poor quality of surface finish and pressure leakage. It brings an immediate necessity of an in-demand resin impregnation technology which will treat any kind of porous issues and improves their potential, while simultaneously ensuring performance that is free of leaks.

Before exploring any further, let us understand more on Polyurethane Resin Impregnation technology. It’s amongst the most typical methods utilized to seal the voids and cavities between the wire windings, which result in improved electrical insulation. Also, the impregnation assists in decreasing vibrations by repairing the wires surroundings the windings. In plain terms, it’s a standard method of avoiding component leakage, and upgrading the surface treatment.

Polyurethane (PU and PUR) polymers, in this approach, are utilized as resin blend in order to seal open pores. There isn’t any secret that it’s a ‘resin of choice’ as it will come to surface coatings, electrical potting compounds, high performance adhesives, and surface sealants. They’re valued for their resin properties. Pressure, vacuum, and temperature include the main parameters utilized in Polyurethane impregnation processing. Make sure you provide maximum attention to the correct viscosity; otherwise incorrect viscosity might lead to stress cracks and incomplete saturation.

Polyurethane impregnation approach possesses numerous benefits. Let us examine look some major advantages of the same:

• Boost in thermal conductivity
• Better electrical insulation with minimal vibrations
• No resin residuals on laminations and shafts
• High bond strength
• Develops a bonding effect upon the lamination
• No presence of bubbles within the resin-winding mass
• Accurate penetration of resin deep inside a variety of existing gaps

The most broadly utilized equipment for Polyurethane Resin Impregnation include vacuum potting, Hot Dipping, Roll Dip, and Trickling. You easily can discover numerous available choices in the marketplace for them. But, what’s important is that you select the proper machine from the proper dealer.

While planning to purchase an impregnation machine, you ought to provide utmost importance to factors such as yield of resin, energy optimization, programmable auto shut down and start, automatic flushing of drippers and pumps, automatic system lubrication, automatic failure diagnostics, ease of operation, low maintenance, low thermal dissipation, and much more. Do not forget to check the manufacturer’s warranty, specifications, and quality prior to making a final purchase.

For more information on this process contact Polymer Resources at 1-860-271-0497.

The plentiful supply of shale gas in North America has prompted the emergence of the US as an important center for worldwide petrochemical production. Thanks to the abundance of cheap shale gas as a feedstock, petrochemical production costs have gone down dramatically. The shale gas boom could potentially result in a surge in compounding resin production.

The increase in natural gas availability due to the shale gas boom has resulted in a plentiful supply of ethylene. This in turn has led to a dramatic increase in polyethylene production via the process of ethylene cracking. Lower polyethylene prices and increased production capacity could potentially have a substantial impact on resin prices.

Opinions vary as to what extent plastics processors stand to gain from the shale gas boom. On the one hand, the reduction in polyethylene production costs ought to be beneficial for plastics processors as their material expenses stand to decrease considerably. However, it is unclear just how far the price of polyethylene could fall. It has been suggested that the price of polyethylene corresponds to the cost of production from crude oil, rather than from natural gas. Furthermore, polyethylene prices are dictated by the inventory of the supplier.

In addition to ethylene, shale gas also contains a large amount of propylene. The new abundance of shale gas therefore has implications for polypropylene production. Most of the benefits the petrochemicals industry has derived from shale gas thus far have come from ethylene cracking. However, recent advances in propylene dehydrogenation (PDH) technology mean that this is expected to change. With resin producers set to begin polypropylene production as early as 2015, the full force of the shale gas boom may soon be felt in the polypropylene sector. While polypropylene prices are unlikely to fall to the extent of polyethylene prices, the increased availability of propylene is expected to result in a less volatile polypropylene market.

The extent to which the shale gas revolution will drive compounding resin production may not yet be fully understood; however, it is clear that these are exciting times for the US petrochemicals industry. The advantage of shale gas is local to North America, and opportunities abound for both domestic business and export.

One of the best resins of the styrene family, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) is widely used in the automotive industry and in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment. The increased utilization of ABS Resin plastic means that there would be substantial volumes of material which would need to be recycled at the end of life of these products. Research studies focused on the impact of reprocessing on the physical and mechanical properties of ABS products have shown minimal impact therefore establishing the benefits of ABS Resin plastic as an easy to recycle material.

ABS is a common thermoplastic resin which guarantees high rigidity, durability, dimensional stability and excellent chemical resistance. The high quality features of ABS resin can be attributed to its composition where it brings in the strength and durability of Acrylonitrile along with the toughness of butadiene rubber. It also allows a wide range of modifications to its composition which allows to improve its impact resistance, heat resistance and toughness.

Some of the most common and well known features of ABS Resin includes:

• Excellent ductility
• High Impact strength
• Extremely tough and rigid
• Dimensional stability
• High tensile strength
• Heat and chemical resistance
• Electroplatable
• High and low temperature performance

Although there are several benefits associated with the use of ABS Resin, there are certain limitations as well like its poor solvent resistance, poor weather ability and heavy generation of smoke when burnt.

There are huge variations possible with ABS Resin, however the most common variations of ABS material includes General Purpose ABS, High Impact ABS, Low Viscosity ABS, Plate-able ABS, ABS FR and many more. The modifications of its properties is possible with the use of additives, modifiers and reinforcing agents.

ABS plastics are largely used for mechanical purposes and in the automotive industry, however it also boasts good electrical properties which show minimal impact with temperature and humidity changes.

The two most common reprocessing or recycling process used for ABS products include mechanical recycling and solvent based process. Several research studies and experiments have proved that the microstructure of ABS resin is not affected by the recycling process. For painted parts, it is usually recommended to use the solvent based recycling process to ensure minimal butadiene loss.

Known for its medium strength and performance at affordable pricing, ABS Resin is commonly used for injection molding applications. The mechanical properties of ABS Resin plastic makes it ideal for drilling, turning, die-cutting and shearing. It also possesses excellent creep resistance, abrasion resistance and electrical properties, thereby making it one of the most widely used resins ever. Because of its great versatility, ABS Resin is used in a wide variety of applications. The three components used in the manufacture of ABS resin are combined by different methods which involves polymerization, combinations and physical mixtures.

Plastics are loaded with macromolecules which are made under the action of heat and pressure such that it can be processed into the desired shape. There are two broad classifications of a thermoplastic i.e. amorphous thermoplastics and semi-crystalline thermoplastics. When the thermoplastic is shaped at a temperature over the glass transition temperature Tg, then it is classified as Amorphous Thermoplastics. Whereas, when the temperature is over the melting temperature Tm, it is classified as Semi-crystalline thermoplastics.

Completely amorphous thermoplastics are generally brittle, stiff and quite clear in their unprocessed state. Temperature and pressure can cause the molecular arrangement to change along with the properties of the polymer. Tg or the glass transition temperature is defined as the point when the molecular rotation about single bonds becomes favorable. There are different varieties of Amorphous thermoplastics which includes materials like polystyrene, acrylics, polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene and polyvinyl chloride.

The molecules in case of amorphous thermoplastics are entangled in solid state. Most of them are transparent in their natural form, however ABS is an exception. In general, amorphous thermoplastics are known to have lower chemical resistance and lower stiffness and strength when compared with crystalline materials. However, the amorphous thermoplastics have uniform shrinkage rates which means that their shrinkage can be calculated easily.

There are additives and fillers used with both amorphous and semi-crystalline thermoplastics to alter the physical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of the base resin. Amorphous thermoplastics can be used in a wide variety of applications because of its diverse range of properties. With state of the art molding machine controls and latest material formulation methods, Polymer Resources guarantees high quality and consistent molded parts.

There are different varieties of crystalline materials which includes Nylon, polypropylene, polyacetal, and thermoplastic polyesters. In case of semi-crystalline thermoplastics, the size of the crystals is larger than the wavelength of visible length, thereby making the materials translucent. Depending on the branching and cooling rate, there are different degrees of crystallinity. Close to 85% of the resins produced are thermoplastics which are further classified as amorphous thermoplastics and crystalline thermoplastics. The amorphous regions of the thermoplastics contributes to the elasticity of the thermoplastic whereas the crystalline regions contribute to the strength and durability of the thermoplastic.

The cost saving opportunities associated with the use of injection moulding technology of thermoplastics need to be ensure proper material usage and cycle time to achieve optimized results. Amorphous thermoplastics exhibit lower mold shrinkage and lower tendency to buckle under pressure when compared with semi-crystalline materials. They lose their strength and rigidity very quickly once above the glass transition temperature Tg. The randomly ordered molecular structure allows amorphous thermoplastics to soften gradually as the temperature increases.

Composed of thermoplastic polymers, Polycarbonate panels are usually found in several industrial applications. Polycarbonate is a polymer which includes numerous identical units of bisphenol A which are interlinked by carbonate. This type of polymer liquefies when heated and converts into a glassy state when cooled. Polycarbonate panels offer high impact resistance and protection from cracking, breaking or chipping. These panels are available in different sizes, shapes and colors.

The polycarbonate panels are reasonably lightweight and usually available in single, double and triple wall panels. To achieve the desired shape and finish, the polymer is melted and forced through a die. Polycarbonate panels are processed using the following main processes like injection molding and extrusion.

• Injection molding: Initially the polymer is heated, melted and then pressed into a mold, so that it can take the desired shape of the mold. Usually used to manufacture single end products, injection molding is highly effective.
• Extrusion: The polycarbonate is melted and pressed through an orifice which allows the molten polymer to take the shape of the die. Most manufacturers use this process to produce large sheets, pipes and profiles.

There are several benefits associated with the use of polycarbonate panels which are usually used in glazing applications.

• High durability and strength: The polycarbonate panels are used in a wide range of industrial applications. The high durability features of the panels allow it to withstand harsh climatic conditions, resistance to chemicals and abrasion.
• Highly cost-effective: There are several factors which decide cost effectiveness like installation cost, maintenance cost and the aspect of time. Polycarbonate panels are generally expensive, so what makes them cost effective? They offer longevity which means that they maintain their condition and shape for several years, thereby providing complete value for money.
• Greenhouse construction: Polycarbonate panels are in great demand for greenhouse construction. This is because, the panels fulfill almost all requirements of any greenhouse glazing panel. By enhancing light diffusion and guaranteeing longevity, polycarbonate panels are popular among farmers.
• Effective design: The polycarbonate panels are available in different designs and finishes. They tend to offer a mixed variety of several properties like energy saving, moderate light transmission, insulation properties, longevity, etc.

In case of residential buildings, these panels are usually used for awnings and overhead shades because they provide protection from harmful UV rays and easily withstands strong forces. In comparison to other type of panels made with glass or plastic, the polycarbonate panels are extremely lightweight which translates to lower transport and labor costs.