In the mechanical parts processing industry, plastic is a very commonly used material, and machining is a commonly used processing technology. This article will take you to understand the ten most common plastic materials suitable for machining.

1. ABS

ABS is one of five synthetic resins with excellent impact resistance, heat resistance, low temperature resistance, chemical resistance and electrical properties. It is characterized by easy processing, stable product size, good surface gloss, and easy painting and coloring. It can also carry out secondary processing such as surface coating metal, electroplating, welding, hot pressing, and bonding. Thermoplastic engineering plastics are widely used in industrial fields such as machinery, automobiles, electronics, instruments, textiles, and construction. ABS is usually light yellow or milky white granular amorphous resin, which is one of the most widely used engineering plastics

2. Nylon

PA6/PA66/PA12 in nylon are suitable for machining.

Among them, PA6 material has quite high comprehensive performance, including mechanical strength, stiffness, toughness, mechanical damping and wear resistance. These properties, combined with good electrical insulation and chemical resistance, make PA6 a “universal” material for the production of mechanical structural components and maintenance components.

Compared with PA6, PA66 has better mechanical strength, stiffness, heat resistance, wear resistance and creep resistance, but lower impact strength and mechanical damping performance, so it is suitable for automatic lathe processing. PA66 is widely used in the automotive industry, instrument housings and other products that require impact resistance and high strength.

The scientific name of PA12 is polybutylamide, which is a semi-crystalline crystalline thermoplastic material. Its characteristics are similar to PA11, but the crystal structure is different. PA12 is a good electrical insulator and, like other polyamides, it is not affected by moisture affecting its insulating properties. Has excellent impact resistance and mechanical and chemical stability. PA12 has many improved varieties in terms of plasticization and performance improvement. Compared with PA6 and PA66, these materials have lower melting points and densities and very high reversion rates. PA12 has no resistance to strong oxidation. Typical applications for Nylon 12: Commercial equipment such as water meters, cable sleeves, mechanical cams, sliding mechanisms, photovoltaic backplanes and bearings, etc.

3. Polyvinyl chloride

Polyvinyl chloride, peroxide, vinyl chloride monomers in the promoter of azo compounds or the like, or polymers are polymerized under the action of light and heat according to the mechanism of radical polymerization. Vinyl chloride homopolymers and vinyl chloride copolymers are collectively referred to as vinyl chloride resins. Polyvinyl chloride was once the most common plastic in the world and was widely used. Widely used in building materials, industrial products, daily necessities, floor leather, ceramic tiles, artificial leather, pipes, wires and cables, packaging films, bottles, foaming materials, sealing materials, fibers, etc.

4. POM

Polyoxymethylene is a tough and elastic material that exhibits good creep resistance, geometric stability and impact resistance even at low temperatures. Polyoxymethylene has homopolymer and copolymer materials. Homopolymer materials have good ductility and fatigue strength, but are difficult to process. The copolymer material has good thermal stability, good chemical stability and convenient processing. Homopolymer materials and copolymer materials are crystalline materials that are difficult to absorb water. The high crystallinity of polyoxymethylene leads to very high shrinkage, which can reach 2% to 3.5%. Different steel bars have different shrinkage rates. POM has an extremely low coefficient of friction and good geometric stability, especially suitable for the manufacture of gears and bearings. Due to its high temperature resistance, plumbing equipment (valves, pump boxes) is also used in lawn equipment, etc. Materials for making toys such as video cameras, CD, LD, MD players, radios, headphones, stereos, OA equipment and other audio equipment, printers, keyboards, CD-ROM drives, washing machines, dryers, dryers, auto parts , such as seat belt mechanical parts, door handles, mirrors, engine rooms, cameras, watches, precision parts such as building materials, game consoles and stationery.

5. Acrylic

It is an important thermoplastic that was developed early. It has the advantages of good transparency, good chemical stability, good mechanical properties, good weather resistance, easy dyeing, easy processing, and beautiful appearance. Plexiglass is also known as gelatin glass, acrylic glass, etc. This material is widely used in the production of advertising light boxes, nameplates, etc.

6. Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a polymer containing carbonate base in its molecular chain. According to the structure of the ester group, it can be divided into aliphatic, aromatic, and fatty aromatic. Aliphatic and aliphatic aromatic polycarbonates have limited use in engineering plastics due to their low mechanical properties. The three main application areas of polycarbonate engineering plastics are glass assembly industry, automobile industry, and electrical and electronic industry, followed by industrial machinery parts, optical discs, packaging, computers and other office equipment, medical and health care, films, and leisure protective equipment.

7. Polypropylene

Polypropylene is a thermoplastic resin made by polymerizing propylene. The relative density is only 0.89-0.91, which is one of the lightest plastics. Due to its high crystallinity, the material has good surface hardness and scratch resistance. Polypropylene does not have environmental stress cracking problems.

8. Polyphenylene sulfide

Polyphenylene sulfide is a thermoplastic special process plastic with excellent overall performance. Its notable features are high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties. Excellent electrical insulation (especially high-frequency insulation), white is easy to crack, there is a metallic sound when landing, light transmittance is second only to plexiglass, good water resistance, and good chemical stability. It is a plastic with excellent flame retardancy and non-combustibility. General strength, good stiffness, but brittle quality, prone to stress embrittlement, vulnerable to benzene, gasoline and other organic solvents, long-term use temperature can reach 260 ° C, stable at 400 ° C in air or nitrogen. Modification by adding glass fibers and other reinforcing materials can significantly improve impact strength, heat resistance and other mechanical properties. The density increases from 1.6 to 1.9, and the molding shrinkage is less than 0.15-0.25%. It is suitable for the manufacture of heat-resistant parts, insulating parts, chemical equipment, optical equipment and other components.

9. Polyether ether ketone resin

Polyetheretherketone resin is a special engineering plastic with excellent performance. Compared with other special engineering plastics, it is resistant to positive high temperature of 260 degrees, good mechanical properties, good self-lubricating property, strong chemical corrosion resistance, strong flame retardancy, strong peeling resistance, strong wear resistance, strong nitric acid, concentrated sulfuric acid, radiation resistance , Corrosion resistance, corrosion resistance, super mechanical properties can be used in high-end machinery, nuclear engineering, aviation and other technologies.

10. Polytetrafluoroethylene

Products made of this material, PTFE, are often referred to as “non-stick coatings”. Polyethylene is a synthetic polymer material in which all hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine. The material is acid-resistant, alkali-resistant, resistant to various organic solvents, and almost insoluble in all solvents. At the same time, PTFE has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, and because of its extremely low coefficient of friction, it can be used as a lubrication method, and it can also be used as an ideal coating that does not adhere to the inner layer of pots or water pipes.

Hope the above content can help you!