ABS is an opaque thermoplastic and amorphous polymer. It is popular due to its low production cost and ease for machined with material. By polymerizing styrene and acrylonitrile in the presence of polybutadiene, chemical chains attract each other and bind together to make ABS stronger.
ASA is an amorphous, opaque, and tough thermoplastic. It is produced by introducing a grafted acrylic ester elastomer during copolymerization reaction between styrene and acrylonitrile (SAN). Chemical structure of ASA is very similar to Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), crosslinkled acrylate rubber is added instead of butadiene rubber, which provides ASA higher long-term heat resistance, excellent weather resistance and better chemical resistance.
LCP consists of highly crystalline molecular chain that made up a family of thermoplastics which have a unique set of properties. The most commonly used LDPs are PET copolyester, copolyamide and polyester-amide, however others are also possible. It exhibits highly ordered structure in both the melt and solid states. It can used to replace ceramics, metals, composites.
PA 6, also known as Polycaprolactam, can be produced in two general product types : regular type for textile uses (carpets, apparel, seat belts, etc.) and high-strength type for industrial uses (ring-opening polymerization of caprolactam: plastic resins). It is one of the most widely used polyamides because of its versatility. PA66 has improved surface finishing and processability compared to PA66.
PA 66 is majorly used as a replacement to metal in various applications because of its excellent balance strength, ductility and heat resistance. Nylon 66 is synthesized by polycondensation of hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid (two monomers each containing 6 carbon atoms). All nylons are normally reinforced with glass fibers, glass beads, and carbon fibers to improve their mechanical and thermal performance.
PBT is a semi-crystalline, high molecular weight polymer that has excellent dielectric strength and electrical properties, majorly used as an insulator in the electrical and electronic induestries. PBT differs only slightly from PET in chemical composition but more substantially in its properties such as its higher crystallization rate and lower melting point. Compared to non-reinforced resin, glass-reinforced PBT exhibits a 1.75x increase in tensile, flexural and compressive strengths and modulus.
PC is a high-performance, tough, amorphous and transparent thermoplastic polymer that offers unique combination of properties such as high impact strength, good heat resistance and most importantly, transparency. Due to its great compatibility with certain polymers, it is widely used in blends as PC/ABS, PC/PET, PC/PBT.
PMMA or Arcylic, is a transparent and rigid thermoplastic material widely used as a shatterproof replacement for high cost and less resilient glass. It is seen as a cheap alternative to polycarbonate (PC) when high strength is not necessarily a stringent requirement for the given application.
POK is a new green polymeric material composed of carbon-monoxide and olefins. It is a semi-crystalline engineering plastic and with the backbone of the structure consists only carbons, it exhibits many desirable mechanical and thermo-physical properties which no other polymer has in this combination.
POM or Acetal, is a formaldehyde-based, semi-crystalline engineering thermoplastic and widely used to produce precision parts with high lubricity. Different manufacturing processes are used to produce the homopolymer and copolymer versions of POM. In alkaline environments, copolymers are more stable than the homopolymers. On the other hand, homopolymers provide better mechanical properties than copolymers.
PPS is a semi-crystalline, high temperature and performance thermoplastic which consists of aromatic rings linked by sulfides. Due to its structure, PPS is extremely chemically stable and resistant to corrosion even at elevated temperature, so it is widely used in applications which involved in exposure of corrosive chemicals. However, PPS happens to be inherently brittleness, thus it is commonly mixed with fibers and fillers to further enhance its mechanical and thermal properties. Metallic sound can be heard when strucking PPS, makes it relatively easy to differentiate PPS from other type of plastics.
SAN is an amorphous, transparent and rigid thermoplastic which copolymerized from styrene and acrylonitrile monomers. The percentage composition of styrene would be around 70% to 80% while acrylonitrile occupies the rest. With the combination of polyacrylonitrile, SAN has better hardness, strength, weatherability and solvent resistance as compared to polystyrene (PS). It has also improved chemical resistance, better heat stability and creep resistance. However, more acrylonitrile contents tend to add more yellowish tint to the plastic.
TPE-E, sometimes refer as TPC, is a synthetic rubber consisting of hard polyester crystallites (normally PBT) dispersed in a soft, flexible matrix. The hard and soft regions are mechanically interlocked with strong intermolecular attractions, which allows TPC to be a good option when chemical and heat resistance are essential for certain applications. At low strain, it behaves like a perfect spring with ideal elasticity.