Thermoforming Plastics and Thermosetting Plastics

• Thermoforming plastics


  Can be heated and formed repeatedly
• Thermosetting plastics


  Once heated, cannot be re melted
• Synthetic plastics all have a starting point of carbon – oil, gas or coal
• Monomers


  Chains of monomers are linked to create polymers
• Thermosetting plastics


  Interlinked like a net, making them more rigid
• Thermoforming plastics


  Linked together as long chains, making them easy to reheat and remould
• Thermosetting plastics


  • Melamine
  • Epoxy resin
  • Phenol formaldehyde
  • Urea formaldehyde
  • Polyester resin
• Thermosetting plastics


  • More rigid, highly resistant to heat, suitable for electrical parts and pan handles, often cast into shapes from a liquid mix which hardens and cannot be reformed
• Thermoforming plastics


  • Polythene HDPE (high density)
  • Polythene LDPE (low density)
  • Polypropylene PP
  • High impact polystyrene HIPS
  • Nylon
  • Poly vinyl chloride PVC
  • Acrylic (Perspex)
• Thermoforming plastics


  • Generally make the bendy types of plastic, not very resistant to heat so can be melted easily, easy to recycle by grinding them down into pellets and reforming them