PLASTIC

PLASTIC is a product that we use widely in every aspect of our lives. In addition to household products such as bottles, glasses and food storage containers, it is also used in a wide range of building materials such as pipes and siding.

Plastic, obtained from various sources such as crude oil and natural gas, contains many raw materials. Plastic is a material made of polymers (large molecules made up of repeating units) that can be molded into solid objects. In plastic production, materials in the polymer group, such as hollow glass beads, are used to give plastics a volumetric appearance advantage and to strengthen their structure.

WHAT IS PLASTIC?

Plastic is a synthetic or naturally occurring polymer that can be easily molded and shaped under heat and pressure due to its structure. This property is known as plasticity. In addition, plastic is chemically stable, lightweight, water and impact resistant, has low thermal conductivity and good insulating properties.

Plastic consists of long chains of molecules called polymers (poly = many; mer = piece). These polymers can be bonded together in different ways to create materials with very different properties. 

The same chemical formula can be represented by different structures, so it's important to know how polymer chains are arranged in plastic production when trying to understand how strong or flexible the material will be.

  PLASTIC TYPES

Plastics are synthetic materials made from large molecules called monomers. Plastics are often categorized as thermoplastics or thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics can be remelted and reshaped, while thermoset plastics cannot be melted. Plastics, which come in a wide variety of forms, can be molded into any desired shape during the production phase.

It is generally used extensively in the packaging, food, manufacturing sector and building elements sectors. Many types of plastic are resistant to water and other liquids, but not all plastics are waterproof. Some types of plastic also become brittle when exposed to heat or cold.

Plastic consists of various chemical compounds combined to create different types of plastic, each with its own unique properties.

Polypropylene (PP), one of the types of plastic, is a thermoplastic polymer often used for packaging materials because it is inexpensive and easy to produce using existing equipment.

Thermoplastics and Thermosets

Thermoplastic is a polymer that softens or melts when heated and returns to its original shape when cooled.

Thermoplastics are generally more resistant to mechanical damage and wear than thermosets, but are less resistant to chemical attack and heat. Many fillers are used in plastic production to increase the resistance of thermoplastics. In order to increase the performance of thermoplastic materials and to obtain more durable plastic building materials, strengthening fillers such as Glass Fiber Shredded PA-PP, Solid Glass Beads, Hollow Glass Beads are used.

What is plastic made of?

Plastic is created by combining many chemical compounds. In plastic production processes, chemicals called monomers are brought together to form polymers. The most common plastic polymers are:

(PE) Polyethylene: Used in shopping bags, bottles and containers. PE is transparent and durable, its melting point is low. It can be recycled many times before losing its strength and clarity.

(PP) Polypropylene: Used for containers, bottles and packaging. PP is durable with a high melting point, but melts at high temperatures, so it is not suitable for cooking or food storage. It has recycling properties and can be used repeatedly in different forms.

(PS) Polystyrene: Used for cups and containers; PS has a low melting point so it does not withstand high temperatures well, but it is easy to recycle because it can be easily melted into pellets and then made into new products (e.g. toys).

               PLASTIC PRODUCTION

Plastic production is a process that includes steps from the production of raw materials to their transformation into finished products. Plastics are made of organic and inorganic polymers, or macromolecules, which are long chains of repeating units. The material properties of plastics largely depend on the chemical structure of these macromolecules.

Plastic production generally falls into two categories: thermoplastic and thermoset. Thermoplastic polymers can be melted and remolded without losing their molecular structure; Thermosetting polymers retain their molecular structure but cannot be remoulded once they have cured (that is, once they have chemically reacted so that they do not resolidify).

The basic steps in plastic production are as follows:

1. Extraction of raw materials

The first stage in plastic production is the extraction of raw materials. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, and fossil fuels must be mined from underground. The most important raw material used in plastic production is oil extracted from natural deposits deep in the earth. It is heated until it becomes liquid and can be pumped to the surface.

Other raw materials include natural gas, coal and limestone. These are also mined from underground, but do not need to be heated before being used as ingredients in plastic production. Once extracted from their original sources, these materials are processed into solid pellets or powders that can be used by plastic manufacturers.

2. Correction

During the plastic production process, some defects such as scratches and burrs often appear. The correction method is used to repair these defects during the manufacturing process. Straightening plastics is a process that involves adjusting the properties of a plastic material. The properties usually set are density and molecular weight. When plastic fails to meet certain standards it must be corrected.

For example, if it has too low or high density or is subject to mechanical damage during processing or use. The correction method is decided based on the type of defect found in the plastic and the degree of correction required.

It is possible to divide this correction into two main groups:

1. Correction of density defects: Depending on how severe the defect is (that is, whether there is only one or several holes), different correction methods can be applied:

2. Correction of molecular weight defects: This type of correction is done by adding or removing monomers or oligomers (small molecules).

3. Cracking

Cracks in the plastic manufacturing process are very common in plastic parts and products. This is because the plastic material has a certain elasticity, which can be stretched to some extent. Cracks may occur due to reasons such as poor quality control of raw materials, use of low quality raw materials, poor injection molding process, improper cooling of molded parts.