Injection Molding Materials Guide
Properties, Application, Pros and Cos, Data Sheet
for 27+ common plastic materials
ABS
(Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
ABS plastics provide a balanced combination of mechanical toughness, wide temperature range, good dimensional stability, chemical resistance, electrical insulating properties, and ease of fabrication.
ABS / PC
(ABS + Polycarbonate Alloy)
PC + ABS plastics offer improved strengths over ABS at a lower cost than Polycarbonate. Exceptional low temperature Impact Strength. The material can be modified by the addition of glass fiber, mineral fillers and flame retardant.
LCP
(Liquid Crystal Polymer)
LCPs are cool, relatively new materials with interesting properties. They have tensile strength and modulus close to aluminum. Because of the highly oriented, rod like nature, of the polymer molecules.
PA 66 – Nylon 66
(Polyamide)
Nylons are semi-crystalline polymers with a good range of properties. Nylons are widely used because they have a good cost to performance ratio. Lower numbered nylons, 6 ,6-6, 4-6, absorb moisture and change their properties as a result.
PBT
(Polybutylene Terepthalate)
PBT polyesters are semi-crystalline. They are versatile materials with a good range of properties. They have excellent electrical properties and are abrasion resistant. PBT has been extensively compounded giving a very wide range of properties.
PC
(Polycarbonate)
Polycarbonate is an amorphous material with excellent impact strength, clarity, and optical properties. It is very widely used and a wide variety of compounds are available. Polycarbonate has excellent mechanical properties.
PP
(Polypropylene)
Polypropylene is a widely used, semi-crystalline material. It has been extensively compounded to provide a wide range of properties at a wide range of costs. In general, polypropylene is a low temperature material with excellent chemical resistance.
PMMA / Acrylic
(Polypropylene)
PMMA is a tough, highly transparent material with excellent resistance to ultraviolet radiation and weathering. It can be colored, molded, cut, drilled, and formed. Acrylic is an economical alternative to polycarbonate when extreme strength is not necessary.
POM / Acetal
(Polyoxymethylene)
Acetal polymers are semi-crystalline. They offer excellent inherent lubricity, fatigue resistance, and chemical resistance. Acetals suffer from outgassing problems at elevated temperatures, and are brittle at low temperatures.
PS
(Polystyrene Crystal)
Crystal polystyrene is the cheapest thermoplastic available. It has properties to match its price. It is transparent and has good optical properties. It has very low Impact Strength.
PVC
(Polyvinylchloride)
PVC is one of the oldest and most commonly used thermoplastic materials. The material is a colorless polymer of vinyl chloride. PVC can have numerous properties
TPE
(Thermoplastic Elastomer / Rubber)
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are a combination of polymers (usually a plastic and a rubber) which consist of both thermoplastic and elastomeric properties.