Plastic is one of the vastly used materials. Plastic products are used on a universally large scale,
not only in food, clothing, shelter but also in the construction, medical, transportation and
leisure industries.
Plastic has different definitions. One of them is a synthetic or man-made polymer similar to natural
fibres that are found in trees and other plants. The material of plastic makes it possible to be
moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes.
The beneficial properties of plastics like being lightweight, durable, inexpensive to produce,
flexible and its adaptability, has led to their widespread use.
Though there is success and dominance of the use of plastic that started in the early 20th century,
the environmental issues caused by it cannot be ignored. But now the plastic industry has promoted
recycling or reusing plastic products to ease up the environmental problems.
How are plastic products manufactured?
Since the birth of the plastic industry, global production has increased enormously. To produce
plastic products there are various manufacturing processes, here is mentioned few of them:
- CNC Machining: Mills, lathes and other computer-controlling subtractive are
included in the CNC Machining process. CNC Machining is ideal for producing low volume plastic
part applications that need tight tolerances that are difficult to mould. This process is set
from low to moderate setup costs and can produce high-quality plastic components from a wide
range of materials.
- Polymer Casting: In this polymer casting process, a reactive liquid resin or
rubber fills the mould which reacts chemically and solidifies. The materials for polymer casting
includes Epoxy, Silicone, Polyurethane and Acrylic.
Polymer casting is generally used for
prototyping, short-run production, as well as certain dental and jewellery applications.
- Rotational Moulding: Rotational moulding, also known as rotomoulding, is a
process that involves heating a hollow mould filled with powered thermoplastic and rotating
around two axes to produce large hollow products.
The less expensive tooling factors make
rotational moulding perfect for short-run business production. The products that are made by
rotomoulding are tanks, large containers, buoys, canoe hulls, toys and helmets.
- Vacuum Forming: Vacuum forming is a manufacturing process where using a mould,
plastic is heated and formed. Vacuum forming machines vary in size and complexity.
Due to
the involvement of low force and pressure, the tooling cost for vacuum forming is low compared
to the other moulding techniques.
What types of plastic are available?
Plastics are in thousands of varieties with derivatives, additives and base chemistries that are
created to cover a wide range of functional properties.
To ease the process of finding the plastic that is best suited for the given part or product, here
are mentioned few types:
- Thermoplastics: Thermoplastics are the most commonly used plastic all around
the world. Thermoplastic is a plastic polymer that becomes soft when heated and hard when it is
cooled. The main ability of thermoplastics is that they can go through various heating and
cooling processes without even significant degradation.
Thermoplastics are usually supplied
in the form of plastic pallets or polythene sheets that can be formed in various shapes and
sizes by using different manufacturing processes. The process is completely reversible as there
are no chemical changes that help in recycling or reusing thermoplastics in a faster way.
The common types of thermoplastic materials are:
- Acrylic (PMMA)
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
- Polyamide (PA)
- Polylactic acid (PLA)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)
- Polyethene (PE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
- Thermosetting Plastics: Thermosetting plastic is a type of polymer that gets
irreversibly hardened by heat. Thermosetting plastic is also known as thermosets, thermosetting
polymers or thermosetting resins. The polymers in thermosetting plastic cross-link during a
curing process that is done by heat, light or suitable radiation.
In that curing process,
thermosetting plastic makes an irreversible chemical bond. Recycling thermosetting plastic or
returning back to the main material is not possible because of the irreversible chemical
change.
The common types of thermoplastic materials:
- Cyanate ester
- Epoxy resin
- Polyester resin
- Polyurethane
- Silicone resin
- Vulcanised rubber
- Bakelite (Phenolic)
- Duroplast
- Fibreglass
- Melamine
- Vinyl Esters
What are the uses of plastic?
The uses of plastic are enormous these days. In every field, we use plastic products. Here are some
examples:
- Construction: Plastic is used in a large number of applications in the
construction industry. Plastic can have great versatility and combine the strength of
durability, low cost-effectiveness and low maintenance make plastic an economically attractive
choice throughout the construction sector.
- Packaging: Plastic is the perfect material used for packaging any goods.
Plastic is very versatile, hygienic, flexible, lightweight and highly durable. Plastic is used
in numerous kinds of packaging applications including toys, containers, drums, baby products
etc.
- Plastics are used to make safety gear like helmets, goggles etc.
- As plastic is lightweight it is used for making toys, electrical switches and other household
products.
- Plastic has poor conductivity of electricity. That is why it is used for coating electrical
wires and to make the handles of household utensils.
What is plastic recycling?
Recycling is a tough process as it includes various steps. First, all the plastic products are
collected from various places. Then all the products are separated as per their materialistic
components as different types of plastic require different types of recycling or some can not be
recycled at all.
After this, there is a washing process to remove the impurities from the products. Then cleaned and
dried materials are melted in a certain temperature to be moulded into another shape.
There are many organisations that took the initiative to collect plastic bottles of plastic glass
from various households to get it recycled.
How Only Desi can help you find plastic manufacturers in Kolkata?
Only Desi is a website where you can find a large number of listed manufacturers. You can apply
various filters to find as per your requirement. There is an easy searching option with different
details. If you are looking for plastic bottle manufacturers or plastic pallet manufacturers or
transparent plastic bottle wholesale in Kolkata, OnlyDesi is your one-stop. It will provide you with
the best with its review section.