Browse Items (24 total)

Epoxies are thermosetting polymers with excellent mechanical, electrical and adhesive properties and good resistance to heat and chemical attack. They are used for adhesives (Araldite), surface coatings and, when filled with other materials such as…

ABS (Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) is tough, resilient, and easily molded. It is usually opaque, although some grades can now be transparent, and it can be given vivid colors. ABS-PVC alloys are tougher than standard ABS and, in…

Cellulose is one of the main structural polymers in plants (specifically that of wood or cotton). These natural fibers are treated with acids to produce a resin, a process called 'esterification'. Cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate…

Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) is a thermoplastic produced by chlorination of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin which is significantly more flexible and can withstand higher temperatures than standard PVC. Uses include hot and cold water pipes…

A polymer very similar to PTFE and PFA, FEP is sold under the brandname Teflon FEP. Compared to PTFE and PFA, more flexible, lower tensile strength, softer, and lower melting points.

Ionomers, introduced by DuPont in 1964, are flexible thermoplastics but they have ionic cross-links, from which they derive their name. Their thermoplastic character allows them to be processed by blow molding, injection molding and thermoforming,…

Polyamide-imides are either thermosetting or thermoplastic, amorphous polymers that have exceptional mechanical, thermal and chemical resistant properties. Polyamide-imides are used extensively as wire coatings in making magnet wire. They are…

Back in 1945, the war in Europe just ended, the two most prized luxuries were cigarettes and nylons. Nylon (PA) can be drawn to fibers as fine as silk, and was widely used as a substitute for it. Today, newer fibers have eroded its dominance in…

PC is one of the 'engineering' thermoplastics, meaning that they have better mechanical properties than the cheaper 'commodity' polymers. The family includes the plastics polyamide (PA), polyoxymethylene (POM) and polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE). The…

Polyesters can be a thermosets, a thermoplastics or elastomers. The unsaturated polyester resins are thermosets. Most polyester thermosets are used in glass fiber/polyester composites. They are less stiff and strong than epoxies, but they are…