| PLASTICS AND RUBBER

PLASTICS AND RUBBER

Plastic Materials are made from Crude oil, Natural gas, Coal, Cellulose, etc. Plastics are broadly classified as Thermoplastic and Thermo settings. Depending on the specific product requirements or application, it is required to select either Thermoplastic or Thermoset materials. The family of the main process for Thermoplastic materials is as follows with a combination of plastic granules with additives, Fillers, Pigments, chemicals, blowing agents, etc.:

Extrusion including Rigid and Hollow profiles or pipes with PVC, HDPE, Single or Multi-layer Blown film with HDPE/LLDPE/LLDPE/PVC used for variety of packaging.
Blow Molding with PET, PVC, PP for Bottles, Cans. The design of extruders is with single screw and Twin-screw with variety of capacities.
Injection Molding – The Mass production process wherein identical parts are produced with precision dimensions staring from very minute and light weight to very large Medium weights. This process is used for parts used for Industrial and Domestic applications such as Fittings for Pipe and Electrical, Industrial Crates/Pallets, Bumpers, Dash boards, Casings, TV Cabinets, Chairs etc. the materials used are HDPE, PP, ABS, Nylon, PolyCarbonate etc. The Injection molding machines are categorized as regular Injection, Structural Foam and Insert molding etc. In structural Foam Molding the part’s external surface will have low density than inner surface to reduce the weight. In Insert molding a required shaped insert can be placed during Molding process.
Rotational Molding is the process used for large hollow parts such as water tanks, chemical storage Barrels with the materials PP, HDPE, LLDPE.
Thermoforming or Vacuum forming is a process used for producing specific forms such as Blister packaging, trays, cups etc. from the sheets of ABS, Acrylic, PVC etc.

The Thermoset materials are used for products exposed to high heat, better chemical resistance, High strength, Abrasion, and Corrosion resistant. The products made of Thermoset materials are not recyclable.
The most widely used materials are Polyurethane Cast Elastomers, phenolics, silicones, and polyesters, epoxies, etc. The selection of materials depends on the requirement of the end product. The processes used for thermoset materials are Resin Transfer Molding, Reaction Injection Molding, Pultrusion, SMC/DMC Molding, etc.
The general equipment required for any plastic processing Industry are Dryers, coolers, Mixers, Extruders, Fabrication equipment, etc.