Plastic Manufacturing & Identification

Consumer Hardware Guide
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Sample Plastic Part

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Identifying Plastic Material:

  • Utilizing unique behaviors and properties such as density can help determine which type of plastic is being dealt with. Some plastics (PP, PS, PETE) are labelled with a numerical marker on the surface for recycling purposes. Below are two good charts describing this:

1798×1252 153 KB

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Recycle ID
Recycle ID1274×654 74.8 KB

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Identifying Plastic Manufacturing Method:

  • Common methods consist of Plastic Extrusion, Compression Molding, Thermoforming, Injection Molding, and Blow Molding

  • Plastic Extrusion: Typically for thermoplastic parts that are continuous in a certain dimension such as pipes and sheets (read more)

  • Compression Molding: Uses thermosetting plastics for designs with simpler geometries (read more)

  • Thermoforming: Uses thermoplastics to make larger geometries (read more)

  • Injection Molding: Uses thermoplastics with more complex geometries (read more)

  • Blow Molding: Typically for hollow, thermoplastic parts with thin walls (read more)