subject: Plastic Manufacturing; Thermosetting And Thermoplastics [print this page] There are many plastic manufacturing methods employed by plastic companies that give rise to many different forms of plastic. Each of these methods has the ability to create plastics with very varied properties and characteristics, for example, a range of colours, strengths and electrical and heat conductivity. It is due to these many different properties that plastics are the most widely used material in most industries today and are ideal for replacing other frequently used materials such as metals and rubber. This occurs widely, particularly in the construction industry.
Plastic manufacturing process is therefore a huge trade supplying plastics to companies all over the world. There are many different methods available that will result in plastics ranging from large uniform structures with high tensile strength to small intricate details for usually used in toys or household products.
Plastics begin, often as small granules or pellets known as resin or in their powdered form which is usually heated and moulded into almost any shape or size required, then left to cool and set into their final conformation. Additives, such as colourants, materials such as metal, rubber or a mixture of other plastics can be added to increase the strength or flexibility of the plastic, and chemicals to speed up the reaction time are often added during manufacture. Common compounds also added are nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur are often added to many mixtures. This creates the final plastic, an organic or semi organic compound that can easily be manipulated.
There are two main categories that plastics can fall into, namely thermosetting plastics and thermoplastics. These categories basically state whether the plastic is recyclable or not. Thermosetting plastics are those which once moulded, cooled and set, cannot then be reformed or reshaped and therefore cannot be recycled. Thermoplastics are those which can be melted down, re-moulded and re-set and therefore are plastics that can be recycled when no longer required, to form a completely new object. There are also many companies that are established to solely recycle these thermoplastics and do not create plastics from their original resin. Common examples of these thermoplastics are polystyrene, polypropylene and PVC.
Custom plastic manufacture is also a huge industry whereby companies create plastics according to their clients requirements. These plastic manufacturing companies will need to employ a large range of machinery in order to cater to all their clients needs. Some machinery frequently found in plastic manufacturing companies are large ovens for heating the plastic mixtures, moulds or casts which can either be large basic casts or very intricate, rollers to flatten plastics and produce uniform sheets and films, and cooling areas where the plastics can set and solidify.
