Generally most people don't give a great deal of thought to plastic, but this substance is useful and used in virtually every industry in the world. You might think that all plastics are the same, but there are several different kinds of plastic. One kind that is used to make many items we use every day as well as most types of plastic packaging is called thermoplastic. This type of plastic is heated and then molded into whatever shape is needed, thus the "thermo" portion of the word thermoplastic. All plastics are made using polymers, and here are a few of the polymers that are commonly used for thermoplastics.
If you have ever sat in an airplane or put a DVD into a DVD player, you have come into contact with one type of thermoplastic commonly known as acrylic or PMMA, which stands for Poly(methyl methacrylate). Other names for this type of plastic include Lucite and also Plexiglas, which are actually brand names. It is used to make the windows of aircraft and to make DVDs and CDs impact resistant. PMMA also is used in dental fillings and bone cement, among its medical uses. PMMA is transparent and quite strong, so it can be used in place of glass, such as in the huge aquarium enclosures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other similar facilities.
Nylon is a word with which most people are familiar, but most of us probably don't realize that nylon is a type of thermoplastic. Nylon is a synthetic polymer, or man-made, substance created from a class of aliphatic polyamides. Nylon is durable and versatile, and because of its many positive characteristics, it has become one of the world's most used polymers. Nylon production began in 1935 and quickly became useful during World War II. Silk from Asia was in very short supply, so nylon was used to build the many parachutes that would be needed to fight the war. After the war, silk was still in short supply, so clothes were sometimes made using nylon. Products made from nylon are generally resistant to mildew and mold and the substance also is resistant to insects. Nylon is used to make a huge variety of products, including all kinds of ropes and camping and military tents. Instrument strings now contain nylon and so do women's hosiery, which often are just known as "nylons."
DuPont, which has been around since 1802, certainly has its share of important inventions. In addition to nylon, scientists at DuPont also invented Teflon. Teflon is a thermoplastic and a synthetic fluoropolymer called polytetrafluroethylene. That's a mouthful, so it typically is just called Teflon or PTFE. Obviously, it is useful for the creation of non-stick cookware, which went into production in the mid-1950s. However, it also is used to make Gore-Tex, athletic footwear, and some kinds of bullets, thread seal tape, gears and much more. One interesting fact about Teflon is that it was actually an accidental discovery made by a chemist who was trying to develop a chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant.
Another type of thermoplastic that is quite commonly known is Poly(vinyl chloride). While you might not be familiar with this word, you most certainly have heard of its abbreviation, PVC. This type of thermoplastic is quite hard and inexpensive to produce and is used to make as much as half of the pipes made throughout the world. It also is used as insulation for electrical cables, used to make various signs and used to make containers for those little tubes that hold our blood when have it drawn at a hospital or clinic. PVC also has been used to create clothing, especially waterproof items such as coats and jackets and sometimes used as a substitute for leather clothes.
In addition to the aforementioned thermoplastics, there are also polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Polystyrene is what is used to make Styrofoam for containers and packing materials. Polyethylene is used to make bottles and containers to hold different kinds of toxic chemicals as well as gasoline. So your gas "can" typically is made out of this plastic, as well as bottles that hold bleach, laundry detergent, drain cleaner and more. Finally, there is polypropylene, which is used to make heat-resistant plastic containers that can be placed both in the dishwasher as well as the microwave.
If you have ever sat in an airplane or put a DVD into a DVD player, you have come into contact with one type of thermoplastic commonly known as acrylic or PMMA, which stands for Poly(methyl methacrylate). Other names for this type of plastic include Lucite and also Plexiglas, which are actually brand names. It is used to make the windows of aircraft and to make DVDs and CDs impact resistant. PMMA also is used in dental fillings and bone cement, among its medical uses. PMMA is transparent and quite strong, so it can be used in place of glass, such as in the huge aquarium enclosures at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and other similar facilities.
Nylon is a word with which most people are familiar, but most of us probably don't realize that nylon is a type of thermoplastic. Nylon is a synthetic polymer, or man-made, substance created from a class of aliphatic polyamides. Nylon is durable and versatile, and because of its many positive characteristics, it has become one of the world's most used polymers. Nylon production began in 1935 and quickly became useful during World War II. Silk from Asia was in very short supply, so nylon was used to build the many parachutes that would be needed to fight the war. After the war, silk was still in short supply, so clothes were sometimes made using nylon. Products made from nylon are generally resistant to mildew and mold and the substance also is resistant to insects. Nylon is used to make a huge variety of products, including all kinds of ropes and camping and military tents. Instrument strings now contain nylon and so do women's hosiery, which often are just known as "nylons."
DuPont, which has been around since 1802, certainly has its share of important inventions. In addition to nylon, scientists at DuPont also invented Teflon. Teflon is a thermoplastic and a synthetic fluoropolymer called polytetrafluroethylene. That's a mouthful, so it typically is just called Teflon or PTFE. Obviously, it is useful for the creation of non-stick cookware, which went into production in the mid-1950s. However, it also is used to make Gore-Tex, athletic footwear, and some kinds of bullets, thread seal tape, gears and much more. One interesting fact about Teflon is that it was actually an accidental discovery made by a chemist who was trying to develop a chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant.
Another type of thermoplastic that is quite commonly known is Poly(vinyl chloride). While you might not be familiar with this word, you most certainly have heard of its abbreviation, PVC. This type of thermoplastic is quite hard and inexpensive to produce and is used to make as much as half of the pipes made throughout the world. It also is used as insulation for electrical cables, used to make various signs and used to make containers for those little tubes that hold our blood when have it drawn at a hospital or clinic. PVC also has been used to create clothing, especially waterproof items such as coats and jackets and sometimes used as a substitute for leather clothes.
In addition to the aforementioned thermoplastics, there are also polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). Polystyrene is what is used to make Styrofoam for containers and packing materials. Polyethylene is used to make bottles and containers to hold different kinds of toxic chemicals as well as gasoline. So your gas "can" typically is made out of this plastic, as well as bottles that hold bleach, laundry detergent, drain cleaner and more. Finally, there is polypropylene, which is used to make heat-resistant plastic containers that can be placed both in the dishwasher as well as the microwave.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell loves writing about how stuff is made. To get further info about thermoformed packaging or to find out more about industrial thermoform, please check out the Indepak.com website today.
No comments:
Post a Comment