5 Important Plastic Injection Molding Thermoplastics Discussed

Thermoplastics are the class of polymers that can be softened by melting or solidified by cooling. This flexible property makes these polymers ideal for plastic injection molding. Thermoplastic injection molding process is used for manufacturing various industrial electronic parts. In this post, we will discuss five important types of thermoplastics that are injection molded for industrial manufacturing.

5 Popular Thermoplastics Used in Injection Molding

Following are the five popular injection molding thermoplastics and their applications:

• Acronitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS): This is a terpolymer, which is made from Acronitrile, Butadiene, and Styrene. ABS thermoplastic is lightweight and can be easily molded into various daily use items. The main advantage of this thermoplastic is that various modifications can be made to improve its heat resistance, impact resistance, and toughness. ABS is always molded at high temperature to improve its heat resistance, as well as appearance. However, molding it at low temperature will help bring out its strength and impact resistance.

Applications: ABS is injection molded to produce drain pipe systems, automotive parts, golf club heads, LEGO bricks, etc.



• Polypropylene (PP): This thermoplastic is well-known for its flexibility. PP has high melting point, and offers excellent resistance to cracking, detergents, acids, and water. PP has excellent impact strength, too.

Applications: PP is an FDA approved material, and does not contaminate food products stored inside. The PP is commonly injection molded to produce various household goods, such as area rugs, athletic apparels, utensils, and automotive parts.

• Nylon:  This thermoplastic is widely used for creating industrial products due to their electrical properties, as well as excellent wear and thermal resistance. Nylon can resist impact, various chemicals, and abrasion easily.

Applications: This material is used for creating various plastic parts used in various industries, such as medical, automotive, sports equipment, apparel and footwear, and industrial components.

• Polyethylene: This thermoplastic has variable crystalline structure, and is extensively used in various types of industrial applications. This polymer is available in two types – high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Some of the main advantages of this polymer are excellent impact resistance, tensile strength, ductility, recyclability, and resistance to moisture. HDPE variants have excellent durability, and heat resistance compared to LDPE.

Applications: Polyethylene is often injection molded to produce various plastic bags, bottles, containers as well as geomembranes, plastic films, etc.



• High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS): This is one of the important thermoplastics in use today. This polymer is often combined with other materials to improve its strength. It is created by combining crystalline styrene with rubber, which helps improve its impact resistance. This thermoplastic is also available in FDA grades. This material is highly inflammable, but its high gloss and flame retardant grades are used for injection molding.

You can select any of the above mentioned thermoplastics for creating consumer products. If you are confused about the ideal material selection, you can always approach an expert injection molding services like China CNC- Patrick. The company is well-known for injection molding at Illinois and Shenzhen.