Thermoplastic

Thermoplastic

1. Polypropylene

   • Food safe containers
     • High melting point comparative with the temp required to re-heat food
       • So you can microwave food in the container
     • The material is waterproof
       • So you can wash the container easily and therefore it is easy to keep the container hygienic
     • Textures can also be applied to the container
       • These can make the container easier to clean
     • Most likely produced through injection moulding
       • This means the product has a high tolerance as it was made through injection moulding.
         • This ensures that the lid fits the box for example
           • Thus ensures the container is going to be airtight
             • It needs to be airtight to stop food contamination
       • This method ensures a consistent production and so you can be fairly certain of the quality but mainly the consistency of the product
       • This mass production system works well as it keeps costs low due to the sheer volume people own and buy
     • The material has a slight flex in it so it's slightly flexible
       • If you drop the container it won't shatter
     • Easy to colour
       • Thermochromic pigment could be applied
         • The paint would change colour depending on the temperature of the container and hence the food. The colour of the container would therefore show you when the food was at a low enough temperature to eat
       • The lid and box could be different colours to make the lid easily identifiable.
       • The box could be colour coded as some colours are associated with certain food. This could prevent cross food type contamination with the container

2. A thermoplastic is a plastic which can be melted and remoulded over and over again.

3. Acetate

   • Eye glasses frames
     • Durable in comparison to other types of plastics used for glasses frames
       • The glasses will last a long time and can be worn everyday without damaging them easily
     • Very lightweight particularly in comparison to the metal frames which glasses used to made of
       • As the glasses are lightweight they are light to be worn on the face and so the user won't feel the glasses are pushing down on their face. This could give them a headache if they were heavy and make the glasses uncomfortable to be worn.
     • Acetate also has a wide range of finishes in terms of texture ad it can esily be coloured
       • Many people want different coloured glasses. The user wants to feel individual and being able to buy their glasses in a ariety of colours means they feel this.
     • Cellulose acetate is made from plant matter and so is renewable as a material
       • Products made of this material therefore don't use up finite resources. We can therefore continue to make all the products we make out of acetate now in the future as the material is renewable
     • Cellulose acetate is biodegradable
       • It therefore doesn't contribute to the overcrowding of land fill sites as it biodegrade's, returning to the soil
     • Die cutting
       • This mass production process has a high tolerance
         • If the process didn't have a high tolerance the glass lenses may not fit into the frame
           • 6 out of 10 people in the world need glasses this sheer number of people needing the product means that the product can be done as a continuous production. This means costs are kept low as the process maximises on he amount it can make in 24bhours for example as it is running continuously during this time.

4. Acrylic

   • Alternative to glass, "Safety glass"
     • Very durable and strong
       • The acrylic will last a long time and so wouldn't need replacing reguarly. This is good because if you used "safety glass" for a greenhouse for example you wouldn't want to keep having to change the wall panels because they have worn away or have broken.
       • The fact the acrylic is strong means it can withstand force applied onto it. For example it can cope with wind blowing on the side of it without breaking.
     • Acrylic is lightweight in comparison to glass
       • This means in tall buildings for example where it was being put it for windows the acrylic wouldn't be as heavy to lift and so wouldn't be as hard to lift to the area it needs to be in. This also means on an industrial scale the equiptment such as a small crane that may have been needed to lift the glass could be a less poweful or smaller crane or a crane may not even be needed.
     • Has a smooth surface
       • Makes it easy to clean in order to keep the window clean so you can see out of it easily
     • Waterproof
       • When it rains the window will remain unaffected it will not be damaged.
     • Allows natural UV light through
       • This means the plants can access this UV light for photosynthesis

5. LDPE

   • Detergent Bottles
     • Good chemical resistance
       • This means the bottle won't be damaged by the chemical contained within it.
     • Low density
       • The liquid will make the bottle heavy and so it is good that the bottle is light to begin with to the bottle doesn't become too heavy once it is full.
     • Bottles made through blow moulding.

6. HDPE

   • Crates and bottles
     • Good chemical resistance
       • If the bottle were to leak onto the crate for example the crate wouldn't be damaged by the chemical that may have been inside the bottle.
     • High Density
       • This means the crates would be strong and so they could carry many bottles without the crate bending or breaking.
     • Good stiffness
       • If the crates were flexible then as you picked up the crate on one side the crate would bend on the other and the items may fall out. Therefore the crate needs to be stiff and rigid in order to fulfill its purpose.
     • Injection moulding

7. PET

   • Plastic soft drink bottle
     • Moderate chemical resistance
       • This means the material can cope with the moderate chemicals used in soft drinks.
     • The material is waterproof
       • So it can contain the liquid without it damaging the material or leaking out.
     • Blow moulding
     • Flexible
       • When you drink from it you can squeeze the bottle as you drink in order to get to the liquid.

8. Polycarbonate

   • Safety helmets
     • Very tough and strong
       • If rubble were to fall on the helmet it would hold it's shape in order to protect the head of the wearer.
     • Very good heat resistance
       • The user maybe a builder who would be likely to use a product like this may be working in a country where the temperature is hot and so you wouldn't want this to compromise the level of protection the helmet can offer. Therefore as it has a high heat resistance it won't be compromising this.
       • If hot rubble for example were to fall onto the user the helmet should still protect the user, but if the material didn't have a high heat resistance then the helmet may warp or melt. This means it would compromise the safety of the user. Which is why the product must have a high heat resistance.
     • The material is also waterproof
       • Due to the nature of the product it is likely to be worn outside therefore it would need to waterproof to ensure it could be worn outside without the chance that the water could warp or damage the helmet or compromise the safety of protection that the helmet offers.