Engineering plastic
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
Engineering plastics[1] are a group of plastic materials that have better mechanical or thermal properties than the more widely used commodity plastics (such as polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene and polyethylene).
Engineering plastics are more expensive than standard plastics, therefore they are produced in lower quantities and tend to be used for smaller objects or low-volume applications (such as mechanical parts), rather than for bulk and high-volume ends (like containers and packaging). Engineering plastics have a higher heat resistance than standard plastics and are continuously usable at temperatures up to about 150 °C (300 °F).
The term usually refers to thermoplastic materials rather than thermosetting ones. Examples of engineering plastics include polyamides (PA, nylons), used for skis and ski boots; polycarbonates (PC), used in motorcycle helmets and optical discs; and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, major brand names acrylic glass and plexiglass), used e.g. for taillights and protective shields. The currently most-consumed engineering plastic is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), used for e.g. car bumpers, dashboard trim and Lego bricks.
Engineering plastics have gradually replaced traditional engineering materials such as metal, glass or ceramics in many applications. Besides equalling or surpassing them in strength, weight, and other properties, engineering plastics are much easier to manufacture, especially in complicated shapes. Across all different product types, more than 22 million tonnes of engineering plastics were consumed worldwide in 2020.[2]
Relevant properties
[edit]Each engineering plastic usually has a unique combination of properties that may make it the material of choice for some application. For example, polycarbonates are highly resistant to impact, while polyamides are highly resistant to abrasion. Other properties exhibited by various grades of engineering plastics include heat resistance, mechanical strength, rigidity, chemical stability, self lubrication (specially used in manufacturing of gears and skids) and fire safety.
Examples
[edit]
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
- Nylon 6
- Nylon 6-6
- Polyamides
- Polybutylene terephthalate
- Polycarbonates
- Polyetheretherketone
- Polyetherimide
- Polyetherketoneketone
- Polyetherketones
- Polyketone
- Polyethylene terephthalate
- Polyimides
- Polyoxymethylene plastic (acetal)
- Polyphenylene sulfide
- Polyphenylene oxide
- Polysulphone
- Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)
- Poly(methyl methacrylate)
Market and economic landscape
[edit]The market for engineering plastics is rapidly expanding in the globe due to a shift from traditional materials like alloys and metals to high-performance polymers with superior mechanical, thermal and chemical properties. The market size value in 2024 is 146.80 billion USD, with the revenue forecast of 230.64 billion USD in 2030.[3] The market is growing in automation & transportation, electrical & electronics, building & construction, consumer goods & appliances, medical and aerospace. Automative and transportation segment has the largest market share for over 34.85% in 2023.[3]Key manufacturers in this competitive market are Grand Pacific Petrochemical Corporation, Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation and Celanese Corp.[3] By resin type, the styrene copolymers, ABS and SAN, held the largest share at 33.7% in 2023.[3] Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a high-demand engineering plastic often used in the electronics and automotive parts such as bumpers, interior trims, due to its lightweight and durable nature.[3]
Additionally, with the rise of concerns for plastic waste and its impact on the environment, manufacturers have increased investment in recyclable and biodegradable engineering plastics, reflecting a growing demand for sustainable materials in future market.[3]
Sustainability and environmental impact
[edit]Engineering plastics are valued for their superior mechanical properties, including high tensile strength, impact resistance, fatigue endurance, and high melting point, making them suitable for many applications.[4] However, these characteristics make challenges at the end of the product lifecycle.
Compared to traditional materials, alloys, and metal, many engineering plastics are not easily recyclable. [4] Additionally, extensive use of engineering plastics in the industries have resulted in large amount of waste. [5] The recycling processes are often complex and expensive which will lead materials disposed in the landfills, where they can take hundreds of years to decompose. [4] However, due to the high-performance characteristics of engineering plastics, recycled engineering plastics have superior properties compared to commodity plastics, and with a lower price point than virgin resin, they become the ideal choice for certain industry applications. [5]
Even though, the industry is pursuing sustainable solutions such as, shifting to bio-based materials. An alternative is producing plastic with renewable sources such as plant-based materials instead of fossil fuels. This will make highly biodegradable polymers (also known as bioengineering polymers, biopolymers, or bioplastics) such as Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Polybutylene Succinate (PBS), which reduce the amount of waste produced over time. [5]
An example of use of bioplastics can be seen in automative industry. Using advanced plastics make lighter, more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. [5] In the automotive industry, the energy consumption in vehicles is related to its weight. Research shows that almost a third of CO2 gas emissions comes from passenger cars Source and approximately 50 % of vehicle fuel consumption depends on the vehicle’s mass. Therefore, implementing engineering plastics and lightweight design is an opportunity to reduce fuel consumption and as a result, gas emissions.[5]
However, compared to old engineering plastics, bioplastics, such as PLA and PHA, lack the necessary mechanical properties for the automative industry. furthermore, some have a thermal degradation, which means they can emit undesirable odors or deformation on sunny days. Nevertheless, they can be reinforced with help of other polymers to enhance they properties.[5]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ IAPD Education Committee. "Amorphous and Semi-Crystalline Engineering Thermoplastics, Module 4". Basic Plastics Education tutorials. International Association of Plastics Distributors. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ^ "Ceresana Market Study 'Engineering Plastics'". Retrieved 2021-11-24.
- ^ a b c d e f "Medical speciality enzymes market size, share, growth, trends, report 2022-2030". Focus on Catalysts. 2022 (9): 2. September 2022. doi:10.1016/j.focat.2022.08.006. ISSN 1351-4180.
- ^ a b c Mumali, Fredrick (March 2022). "Artificial neural network-based decision support systems in manufacturing processes: A systematic literature review". Computers & Industrial Engineering. 165 107964. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2022.107964. ISSN 0360-8352.
- ^ a b c d e f Vieyra, Horacio; Molina-Romero, Joan Manuel; Calderón-Nájera, Juan de Dios; Santana-Díaz, Alfredo (2022-08-21). "Engineering, Recyclable, and Biodegradable Plastics in the Automotive Industry: A Review". Polymers. 14 (16): 3412. Bibcode:2022Polys..14.3412V. doi:10.3390/polym14163412. ISSN 2073-4360. PMC 9414523. PMID 36015669.
 | This article about polymer science is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |