Molded Plastic
The quality of the molded plastic is dependent on preliminary factors of material composition and substance and on external factors such as temperature, environment and the specifics of the manufacturing process. Molded plastics are able to take on many different shapes, sizes, colors and thicknesses because of the malleability of molten plastic. Plastic molds vary from small intricate shapes to larger, less detailed parts, leaving the possible production range very broad. Molded plastic is typically hard and unyielding, and can be brittle. However, additives are sometimes used during the molding process which change the properties or appearance of the material. Antioxidants, UV stabilizers, fire retardants, lubricants and plasticizers are used to help certain plastics change their function and characteristics. For example, additives may make molded plastic become softer, or more durable. The addition of fire retardants makes a plastic material able to inhibit the spread and growth of flames, and lubricants aid in reducing surface friction across the surface of a material. All these make molded plastic components even more versatile.
Made from thermoplastics, elastomers and some thermosets, molded plastic is an ideal material choice for many commercial products due to its strength and malleability, as well as the ease with which its appearance can be changed. Types of thermoplastics used in the production of molded plastic include polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, nylons, spandex-type polyurethanes and celluloids. There are several molding processes available, but injection molding is the preferred method for many manufacturers. It is the result of thermoplastics or elastomers that have been melted down and fed into a plastic injection mould cavity. The molten plastic then cools and hardens into the shape of the mold. Elastomers, like rubber, tend to maintain properties of elasticity, making them an ideal material for products such as children's bouncing balls, which require a characteristic of elasticity. Molded plastic is also corrosion-resistant, abrasion-resistant and is not as easily susceptible to weathering from humidity or water as are other materials. These reasons, and the option of product recycling which reduces cost of production, allow the use of molded plastics in a wide range of products in the industrial sector.
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