Types of plastic

There are all kinds of plastic. Each type of plastic has its own mix of qualities. For almost every product or component, there is a type of plastic that has the right combination of the above qualities. The most important and most common types of plastic used for injection moulding at/by Wicro Plastics are listed below:

ABS injection moulding

ABS is an amorphous plastic and is a styrene polymer. ABS consists of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene; it can easily be processed in our injection moulding machines. ABS is suited to many different applications, making it a widely used plastic in various end products. ABS is popular because this polymer is light, hard, and impact-resistant. It has high stiffness and can easily be finished with a very high boundary surface. A disadvantage of ABS is that it is sensitive to weather conditions and UV light.

Polyamide (PA/Nylon) injection moulding

Polyamide, also known as PA or Nylon, is perfect for injection moulding a variety of products. This type of plastic can be divided into PA6, PA6.6, PA4.6, PA11 and PA12. It is a hard material with a high sound-damping capacity. Polyamide has excellent impact resistance and is highly scratch-resistant. In contrast to ABS, polyamide is less sensitive to weather exposure. Some types of polyamide can resist high temperatures and are easy to finish.

POM injection moulding

POM stands for PolyOxyMethylene. It is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer, also known as polyacetal. POM has high crystallinity and is extremely wear-resistant. This is because this type of plastic is very hard, but with good elastic properties too. Because POM is resistant to chemicals and moisture, it is often used in combination with fuels. A disadvantage of POM is that the material’s low friction coefficient (the degree of friction between two surfaces) makes it difficult to paint or coat.

Polypropylene injection moulding

Polypropylene, also known as PP or polypropylene, can be divided into three different types: PP-homopolymer, PP-copolymer and PP-random. Polypropylene is known for the endless possibilities it presents. Perhaps its biggest advantage is that PP is resistant to chemical solvents, bases and acids. It is also highly resistant to bacterial growth, making it suited to medical equipment and products that come into contact with food. For this reason it is often used for lunchboxes, dental instruments and flowerpots, among other things. Polypropylene is very suited to injection moulding, is relatively stiff and has good water resistance.

HDPE injection moulding

HPDE stands for High Density Polyethylene; it is also known simply as polyethylene. This type of plastic has high crystallinity, meaning that it has a relatively high modulus and has the highest density of all PEs. It is one of the cheapest polymers and the production volume is high too. For these reasons this type of plastic is commonly used for packaging. HPDE has high toughness, good fat resistance, and is food-safe. It can be finished very well and is sustainable for processing different products or product packaging.

Key properties

Injection moulding isn’t limited to processing just one type of plastic. Each type has its pros and cons. When moulding liquid plastic, each type of plastic responds slightly differently and has a different degree of shrinkage. The difference between the various types of plastic used in injection moulding is mainly in these key properties:

Stiffness

The stiffer the material, the more difficult it is to bend the product or component concerned. While one product might benefit from a more flexible material, another may require a high level of stiffness.

Weight

Each type of plastic has a different firmness, and therefore a different weight. Obviously the desired wall thickness also determines the product’s weight.

Scratch resistance

This is an important quality for products that undergo frequent and intensive use; signs of use make a product less attractive and less hard-wearing.

Finishing options

There are countless ways a product can be finished. Each type of plastic has a different surface, which may or may not be suitable for things like colouring, varnishing, relief stamping, galvanising, metallising or printing.

Injection molding roadmap

Project management

PHASE 1: QUOTATION

Tijdens deze eerste stap hebben we nauw contact. Een goede inventarisatie is belangrijk om vast te stellen welke productonderdelen er nodig zijn. We bekijken de gewenste kunststoffen en selecteren de leveranciers voor overige onderdelen.

Quotation

01.

PHASE 2: ASSIGNMENT

Offerte akkoord en naar tevredenheid? Dan ontvangt onze projectmanager de opdracht en zetten we iedereen op scherp om jouw project vorm te gaan geven. Benodigde samples worden al besteld en we maken samen een actielijst.

Assignment

02.

PHASE 3: PLANNING

Op basis van de actielijst maken we een planning. Deze planning is een gedetailleerd projectplan dat onze projectmanager gestructureerd doorloopt. In deze fase worden alle elementen en aspecten samengebracht tot een vloeiend geheel.

Planning

03.

PHASE 4: PROTOTYPE

Nu wordt het pas echt leuk, want in de prototype fase gaan we ontwikkelen. Alle onderdelen, waar in vorige fases samen intensief mee bezig zijn geweest, komen samen. Van matrijs tot aan masterbatches en overige inkoopdelen.

Prototype

04.

FASE 5: PILOT

Daar gaan we dan, het product krijgt letterlijk en figuurlijk vorm in de pilotfase. Testen, optimaliseren en verfijnen… Alles komt samen en wordt geassembleerd tot een volwaardig product. Dit zijn de geluksmomentjes!

Pilot

05.

PHASE 6: LAUNCH

Helemaal of zelfs meer dan tevreden? Dan drukken we op de grote groene knop en gaan we samen het product lanceren. De massaproductie kan worden gestart en jouw product is klaar om de markt op te gaan. Gefeliciteerd!

Launch

06.

what we do

Taking care of product development from A to Z

We don’t just make a product or part, we feel part. Part of the development of your product. Unburdened from A to Z.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

AUTOMATION

ENGINEERING

MOULD-MAKING

INJECTION MOULDING

ASSEMBLY

LOGISTICS

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Together we look at the possibilities for your product. We inspire you with our references and show you around our injection molding plant in Kessel. Will I see you soon?

Contact

Theo Wulms

Process Engineer