Materials

A generic term for plastics, thermoplastics or polymers, materials are the stuff of which molded and extruded parts are made. Broad subcategories include commodity materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC; and engineering materials such as nylon, acetal and ABS for applications requiring higher performance in the areas of heat resistance, chemical resistance, impact, fire retardancy or mechanical strength. This Zone includes links to many material subsets, including those mentioned above as well as thermoplastics elastomers, biopolymers and nanocomposites.

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Article

Prices of Volume Resins Flat to Down

Blog

Materials Part 1: What Annealing Can Do for Your Process

Relatively rapid cooling rates in processing introduce internal stress. If functional problems in use result, annealing may draw down the stress to levels that may not be achievable during processing.

Blog

Time to Learn More About the Real World of Recycling

Next month, Plastics Technology will cover the challenges of recycling with a targeted print and electronic supplement—and a focused webinar—highlighting best practices in processing with high levels of PCR.