Polymers

• What are the types of polymers?

  Synthetic: a synthetic material made mostly from oil, normally referred to as a plastic

  Thermoforming: a material that can be reshaped by application of heat.

  Thermosetting: a material that cannot be reshaped by reheating.

  Biodegradable: a special material that breaks down after its intended purpose via bacterial decomposition to result in natural products such as gases, water and biomass.
• What are examples of thermoforming polymers?

  HIPS, acrylic and Biopol
• What is the form, properties, uses, advantages and disadvantages of acrylic?

  Form: Sheets, tubes, rods, available in wide range of opaque and translucent colours & also available in wide range of sizes

  Properties: Tough, easily finished/cleaned, food safe and can easily be scratched

  Uses: Shop signs, rear car lights, baths, fish tanks & menu holders

  Advantages: Widely available, easy to cut and finish to a high standard, can be shaped using heat & does not need painting

  Disadvantages: Scratches easily and breaks easily if dropped
• What is the form, properties, uses, advantages and disadvantages of HIPS?

  Form: Sheets, rods, tubes, available in wide range of opaque and translucent colours & in wide range of sizes

  Properties: Lightweight, high stiffness, impact resistant & can easily be scratched

  Uses: Toys, television parts & refrigerator parts

  Advantages: commonly used for vacuum forming and other forming techniques

  Disadvantages: Low melting point & becomes brittle when exposed to UV light
• What is the form, properties, uses, advantages and disadvantages Biopol?

  Form: Fibres, granules & sheets

  Properties: Lightweight, good electrical insulator, degrades over time when in contact with soil, can be safely disposed of at landfill sites

  Uses: Disposable cups, razors, cutlery, packaging products , surgical stiches & pins

  Advantages: Degrades in soil and can be disposed of at landfill sites, can be used in injection moulding & vacuum forming

  Disadvantages: Expensive to produce & has low resistance to impact
• What is the form, properties, uses, advantages and disadvantages of Polyester resin?

  Form: Thick liquid for casting and layup, usually used with a catalyst to harden resin & can be coloured through use of pigments

  Properties: Rigid, brittle, good electrical/heat insulation & good chemical resistance

  Uses: Boat hulls and sport cars bodies, glass fibre & decorative objects

  Advantages: Can be used with glass fibres to create lightweight and very strong products & can be polished to a high finish

  Disadvantages: Can be brittle and can chip if dropped
• What is the form, properties, uses, advantages and disadvantages Urea formaldehyde?

  Form: Powder, granules & preforms

  Properties: Rigid, hard, brittle, heat, resistant & excellent electrical insulation

  Uses: Electrical fittings - plugs, sockets and switches & used as an adhesive in man-made boards

  Advantages: Low cost, good electrical properties & can be coloured using pigments

  Disadvantages: Brittleness & can break if dropped
• What is the difference in structure between thermosetting and thermoforming polymers?

  Thermosetting polymers have cross-linking of molecule chains that prevent recycling of thermoset polymers whereas thermoforming polymers just have molecule chains which allow it to be recycled for other uses