In the vast world of modern industry, Industrial plastic parts are stars, ubiquitously dispersed in numerous industries and playing an indispensable and important role. From the microscopic and intricate parts for electronic items, to the critical parts in automotive manufacturing, or even the life-supporting parts in medical equipment, the uses of industrial plastic parts are everywhere. Let us take the case of the electronics sector. In cell phones, computers, televisions, and other electronic products, plastic casings not only provide good physical protection for the precision electronic elements within, successfully keeping out external impact, friction, and dust erosion, but also, with their excellent electrical insulation properties, ensure that the electronic elements have a secure and stable operating environment, excluding electrical leakage and other safety problems. At the same time, plastic shells can be precisely designed to produce fashionable and nice-looking exteriors to meet consumers' aesthetic demands for electronic products and enhance the market competitiveness of the products.
The automotive industry is another major field of use of industrial plastic parts. In the automotive industry, from interior parts such as instrument panels, seats, and door inner panels, to exterior parts such as bumpers and grilles, and to functional parts such as engine hoods and fuel tanks, the proportion of plastic parts is increasing. The use of plastic parts not only significantly reduces the weight of the vehicle as a whole, thereby saving energy and improving fuel efficiency, but also, by optimizing design, enhances the safety performance and comfort of the vehicle. For instance, car bumpers are commonly made of plastic. It takes in much energy from the collision upon impact while deforming to minimize injuries to the occupants and other parts of the car, with good buffering and protection effects.
In industrial applications, plastic components also play a significant role in the field of medicine. Essentially, the majority of medical items such as disposable syringe, infusion bag, surgical instruments, and medical instrument casing are all constructed from plastic. Plastic products have good biocompatibility, are unlikely to cause immune responses in the human body, and can ensure the safety of long-term contact with human tissue and body fluid. In addition, the chemical resistance of plastics enables medical devices to effectively resist the corrosion of different chemicals during storage and use, and ensure the quality and performance stability of products. Besides, plastics are easy to process and shape, making it possible to manufacture various shapes and sizes of precision parts according to medical needs, meeting the requirements of different medical conditions.
With the continuous development of various industries and the advancement of technology, the performance and customization demands for industrial plastic parts are also increasing. The requirements for plastic parts vary greatly across different industries and application scenarios, making customized production the key to meeting market demands. Industrial plastic parts customized can precisely control details such as material choice, structural design, precision of size, and surface treatment according to each customer's specific demands, so that the parts can achieve the optimum state in performance, quality, and compatibility, thereby contributing significantly to innovative development across industries.
The Mystery of Material Selection
The Enigma of Material Selection TPU boasts superior processing characteristics and can be processed by injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding. It is widely applied in items like the soles of sports shoes, mobile phone casings, and industrial rollers, fulfilling the unique material demands of different products.
PBT (Polybutylene Terephthalate): It is a high crystallinity, high melting point (about 225 to 235°C), and high heat deflection temperature crystalline thermoplastic. It has very good mechanical properties like high tensile strength, flexural strength, and rigidity with good electrical insulation and chemical resistance. PBT is used very commonly in connectors and switches in electrical and electronics applications, and automotive parts.
Select material precisely according to need
After learning about the properties of various materials, how to precisely pick materials according to actual needs is the most crucial thing next. Under various industries and application areas, the demands for the performance of plastic parts are quite diverse. Only if the proper materials are chosen can the parts obtain optimal performance when being used, while also taking cost and producibility into account.
Electronic and electrical industry: In electronic device casings, the materials mostly demand outstanding insulation performance, dimensional stability, and appearance texture. ABS materials, with their good overall properties of electrical insulation, easy processing, and surface gloss, have been the commonly used materials for electronic device casings. For some electric components that are supposed to be highly temperature resistant, such as the shell in power adaptors, PC materials with their high heat resistance and mechanical performance are more suitable. In some electronic display frame or lamp cover components that require transparency, PMMA materials' high transparency and aesthetics make them the favorable option. Automobile industry: Operating conditions of automobile components are complex, and requirements for material performance are extremely stringent.
In automobile interiors, i.e., instrument panels and seats, materials are required to have comfortable, wear-resistant, and decorative properties. PP materials, due to their low cost, light weight, and some toughness and chemical corrosion resistance, find application to make some non-critical interior components of automobiles. For components such as intake manifolds and engine covers, which are around the engine area for auto components, high heat-resistant, high-pressure, and vibration-resistant materials need to be used. PA66 and PBT materials with high heat resistance and mechanical strength have widespread usage. For the parts of the car bumper where good impact resistance is needed, modified PP materials or TPE materials are usually selected to ensure safety performance and reduce the weight of the body. Medical field: Medical products have very high requirements for material biocompatibility, chemical corrosion resistance, and aseptic performance. PP materials, due to their non-toxic and good biocompatibility characteristics, find wide applications in the manufacture of medical commodities such as disposable syringes and infusion bags.
High strength and good resistance against chemical corrosion of PC materials make it suitable for making the shells of medical instruments and surgical instrument handles. For various medical devices, such as implantable parts in direct contact with human tissue, like artificial joints and heart stents, special plastic materials with high biocompatibility, such as medical-grade PEEK (polyetheretherketone), are considered. For various non-critical auxiliary parts, though, other suitable plastic materials, such as TPE materials, are chosen based on specific requirements, such as for the sealing and anti-slip components of medical devices. Packaging industry: Packaging materials should possess good barrier properties, processability, and affordability. In food packaging, PCTG materials with high transparency and nice toughness can show food contents clearly while keeping the food away from outside environmental effects. For some of the industrial product packaging which needs to sustain partial pressure and friction, for instance, electronics product packaging boxes, ABS materials' abrasion resistance and strength can ensure the packaging can well protect the product during transportation and storage.
For some single-use and price-sensitive packaging applications, for instance, plastic bags and plastic films, PP materials, with low price and good processing performance, are the first choice.
