Engineering plastics are a group of
plasticPlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products...
materials that exhibit superior mechanical and thermal properties in a wide range of conditions over and above more commonly used
commodity plasticsCommodity plastics are plastics that are used in high volume and wide range of applications, such as film for packaging, photographic and magnetic tape, beverage and trash containers and a variety of house hold products where mechanical properties and service environments are not critical. Such...
. The term usually refers to
thermoplasticA thermoplastic is a polymer that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a very glassy state when cooled sufficiently. Most thermoplastics are high-molecular-weight polymers whose chains associate through weak Van der Waals forces ; stronger dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding ;...
materials rather than thermosetting ones.
Examples of engineering plastics include:
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping , musical instruments , golf...
(ABS)
- Polycarbonates (PC)
- Polyamide
A polyamide is a polymer containing monomers of amides joined by peptide bonds. They can occur both naturally, examples being proteins, such as wool and silk, and can be made artificially through step-growth polymerization, examples being nylons, aramids, and sodium poly.- Production from monomers...
s (PA)
- Polybutylene terephthalate
Polybutylene terephthalate is a plastic that is used as an insulator in the electrical and electronics industries. It is a thermoplastic crystalline polymer, and a type of polyester...
(PBT)
- Polyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...
(PET)
- Polyphenylene oxide (PPO)
- Polysulphone (PSU)
- Polyetherketone (PEK)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polyimide
Polyimide is a polymer of imide monomers. The structure of imide is as shown.Thermosetting polyimides are commercially available as uncured resins, stock shapes, thin sheets, laminates and machines parts. Thermoplastic polyimides are very often called pseudothermoplastic. There are two general...
s
- Polyphenylene sulfide
Polyphenylene sulfide is an organic polymer consisting of aromatic rings linked with sulfides. Synthetic fiber and textiles derived from this polymer are known to resist chemical and thermal attack. PPS is used to make filter fabric for coal boilers, papermaking felts, electrical insulation,...
(PPS)
The more commonly used thermoplastic materials are known as
commodity plasticsCommodity plastics are plastics that are used in high volume and wide range of applications, such as film for packaging, photographic and magnetic tape, beverage and trash containers and a variety of house hold products where mechanical properties and service environments are not critical. Such...
as they are traded and used in great quantities.
Engineering plastics are a group of
plasticPlastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products...
materials that exhibit superior mechanical and thermal properties in a wide range of conditions over and above more commonly used
commodity plasticsCommodity plastics are plastics that are used in high volume and wide range of applications, such as film for packaging, photographic and magnetic tape, beverage and trash containers and a variety of house hold products where mechanical properties and service environments are not critical. Such...
. The term usually refers to
thermoplasticA thermoplastic is a polymer that turns to a liquid when heated and freezes to a very glassy state when cooled sufficiently. Most thermoplastics are high-molecular-weight polymers whose chains associate through weak Van der Waals forces ; stronger dipole-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding ;...
materials rather than thermosetting ones.
Examples of engineering plastics include:
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping , musical instruments , golf...
(ABS)
- Polycarbonates (PC)
- Polyamide
A polyamide is a polymer containing monomers of amides joined by peptide bonds. They can occur both naturally, examples being proteins, such as wool and silk, and can be made artificially through step-growth polymerization, examples being nylons, aramids, and sodium poly.- Production from monomers...
s (PA)
- Polybutylene terephthalate
Polybutylene terephthalate is a plastic that is used as an insulator in the electrical and electronics industries. It is a thermoplastic crystalline polymer, and a type of polyester...
(PBT)
- Polyethylene terephthalate
Polyethylene terephthalate , commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination...
(PET)
- Polyphenylene oxide (PPO)
- Polysulphone (PSU)
- Polyetherketone (PEK)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polyimide
Polyimide is a polymer of imide monomers. The structure of imide is as shown.Thermosetting polyimides are commercially available as uncured resins, stock shapes, thin sheets, laminates and machines parts. Thermoplastic polyimides are very often called pseudothermoplastic. There are two general...
s
- Polyphenylene sulfide
Polyphenylene sulfide is an organic polymer consisting of aromatic rings linked with sulfides. Synthetic fiber and textiles derived from this polymer are known to resist chemical and thermal attack. PPS is used to make filter fabric for coal boilers, papermaking felts, electrical insulation,...
(PPS)
Commodity plastics
The more commonly used thermoplastic materials are known as
commodity plasticsCommodity plastics are plastics that are used in high volume and wide range of applications, such as film for packaging, photographic and magnetic tape, beverage and trash containers and a variety of house hold products where mechanical properties and service environments are not critical. Such...
as they are traded and used in great quantities. Examples are
polystyrenePolystyrene , sometimes abbreviated PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the aromatic monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
(PS),
polyvinyl chloridePolyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is the third most widely used thermoplastic polymer after polyethylene and polypropylene. In terms of revenue generated, it is one of the most valuable products of the chemical industry. Around the world, over 50% of PVC manufactured is used in...
(PVC),
polypropylenePolypropylene or polypropene is a thermoplastic polymer, made by the chemical industry and used in a wide variety of applications, including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and...
(PP) and
polyethylenePolyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging .- Description :Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene...
(PE).
Typical applications for commodity plastics are high production volume products such as ‘polythene’ bags (made from polyethylene), vacuum-formed food packaging (low density polyethylene), disposable drinking cups (high-impact polystyrene) and window frames/wire insulation (PVC).
Engineering plastics
Engineering thermoplastics are sold in much lower quantities and are thus more expensive per unit weight. Despite this, they are widely used in everyday products. For example ABS is used to manufacture car bumpers, dashboard trim and
LegoLego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
bricks, polycarbonate is used in motorcycle helmets and polyamides (nylons) are used for skis and ski boots.
Typically, an engineering plastic is chosen for its range of enhanced physical properties e.g. polycarbonate is highly impact resistant and polyamides are highly resistant to abrasion. In these types of applications, designers are looking for plastics that can replace traditional engineering materials such as wood or metal. The advantage gained is the inherent ‘formability’ (ease of manufacture) of plastics as opposed to metal-working or fabrication.
Other properties exhibited by various grades of engineering plastics include high heat resistance, mechanical strength, rigidity, chemical stability and flame retardency.