From packaging to textiles, you encounter plastic in your home every day. Plastic doesn’t only come in one form. Manufacturers make different kinds of plastics for various purposes. Engineering plastics are a versatile category that has a higher degree of reliability than standard plastics.
There are many types of engineering plastics, with some that can even replace metals in a wide range of applications. Engineering plastics have unique properties that make them perfect to use for different essential products. But what exactly are engineering plastics?
What is Engineering Plastic?
Engineering plastics are plastic materials that offer more improved mechanical and thermal properties than commodity plastics like polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene. This plastic group is best for specialty industrial applications, as they can work between 100°C and 150°C (212°F–302°F) and can hold tight tolerances and intricate geometrics.
Some types of engineering plastics in the Philippines have replaced metal and wood in many applications. They offer the same (sometimes even more) strength or weight properties as traditional engineering materials. Manufacturers tend to turn to engineering plastics as they are easier to make, especially when they require complicated shapes.
Types of Engineering Plastics and Their Common Uses
For so long, multiple industries have relied on traditional materials like glass, wood, and metal. However, engineering plastics have revolutionized the business with many benefits and were adopted in many day-to-day applications. Here are the different types of engineering plastics you encounter every day and their common uses:
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
This type of plastic is one of the most common and widely produced synthetic plastics in the world. PET has a hydrolysis resistance—where a compound reacts with water to produce other compounds—of more than 70°C (158°F). Additionally, it provides high strength, hardness, and rigidity. Because of its outstanding chemical resistance to water and organic materials, PET is easily recyclable.
PET is suitable for products with complex parts, surface quality, and dimensional accuracy. It is commonly used in fibers for clothing, containers for foods and liquids, cosmetic containers, and chemical containers like bottles of household cleaners.
Polyamide (PA) a.k.a. Nylon
Nylon is often used to replace low-strength metals in industrial applications like car engines, industrial valves, and automotive parts because of its high strength, chemical compatibility, and high-temperature resistance. It’s also oil-resistant and has an outstanding wear resistance, which is why PA is one of the most useful plastics.
Aside from its contribution to the automotive industry, nylon can also be formed into fibers. PA is used in toothbrushes, cookware (spatulas, tongs, etc.,) guitar strings and picks, tennis racket strings, and tents. It is also commonly used as textile fabric for gloves, backpacks, swimsuits, socks, athletic shoes, umbrellas, and many more.
Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
ABS is the link between engineering plastics and general industrial plastics. This type of plastic is inexpensive and readily available. It is strongly resistant to physical impact and corrosive chemicals. Because of this, it is widely used for injection molding or 3D printing.
ABS plastic is commonly used in everyday items, such as electronic products. Top examples include refrigerators, computers, televisions, air conditioners, and washing machines. You can also see it in protective headgear like helmets and hard hats, LEGO toys, and musical instruments like plastic clarinets and recorders.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
PVC is a well-known plastic material for commercial and residential property construction applications because of its ability to blend with other materials. This type of plastic is adaptable to become either flexible or rigid. It can be produced as film, fiber, or foam.
You can use the rigid form of PVC for doors, window frames, bottles, and non-food packaging. Meanwhile, when you add plasticizers to PVC, it becomes flexible. This type of plastic can become shoe soles, electrical cables, stationery pouches, toys, and fire protective clothing.
Polycarbonate (PC)
PC is known to be as clear as glass with a high-impact strength that is 200 times stronger. It is also 30 times stronger than acrylic, but it is easily molded and formed. Additionally, this type of plastic is flexible enough for you to cut it on-site without fabrication or pre-forming.
PC is commonly used in various products like CDs/DVDs, car headlamp lenses, sunglasses, baby feeding bottles, roofing and glazing, and greenhouses. It’s also the kind of plastic the police uses for riot gear.
High-Performance Plastics for Tough Applications
Over the years, engineering plastics have proven themselves superior in impact resistance, heat resistance, chemical resistance, mechanical strength, and fire retardancy. Additionally, because they are much easier to manufacture, multiple industries gravitate toward using this material rather than opting for traditional engineering materials like wood and metal.
Trusting the best suppliers is key to maximizing high-quality materials. Simplex is a premier distributor of high-grade industrial and engineering components in the Philippines. Browse our shop for excellent engineering plastic materials and other available products!
