Molding with Plastic Thermoforming Materials Intro
Plastics are part of our everyday lives. Most people do not analyze plastic parts as to what material they are made of and why. A thermoplastic is a type of plastic made from polymer resins that becomes a homogenized liquid when heated and hard when cooled. When frozen, a thermoplastic becomes glass-like and subject to fracture.
It is an important consideration in the design and manufacture of a plastic part that the appropriate material is selected. There are a multitude of different types of plastic materials and each has its own specific characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, properties and appearance. Some of the basic information on the different types of plastic material for a customer’s application available in the thermoforming process is listed below.
- Impact Strength- how much abuse a material can take before it breaks
- Chemical Resistance- effect of chemical interaction
- Heat Deflection- the temperature at which the material will distort
- Hardness- material resistance to chipping, cracking and abrasion
- Shrinkage- the amount the part will shrink after the molding process
- Thermal conductivity- amount of heat that can be conducted through the material
- Forming Range- temperature range at which the plastic can be thermoformed
- Thermal Expansion-amount of expansion and/or contraction at a given temperature
- Stiffness- Rigidity of material
- Flammability- extent to which material will support combustion
- Tensile strength- Resistance of material to being pulled apart
- Electrical Insulation
Proper selection of the appropriate plastic material for the customer’s application is essential in creating the best part possible. Part of our job at HiTech Plastics and Molds is to assist our customers in choosing the plastic material that would best suit their part in the size, shape, appearance, strength, UV properties, etc. With the aid of our many trusted resin suppliers, who bring us their full backing and support, as well as technical expertise, we find the solution which provides the material best suited to each specific product. Depending on whether the part requires a commodity based material or a specially engineering grade material, HiTech has the knowledge and the resources to find that material.
To find out more information on Plastic Thermoforming materials please read the specific qualities of each of the molding materials in this website or contact our sales team 818-477-2777 for general questions or fill out RFQ and submit information to expedite response.
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