Popular Plastic Resins for Injection Molding

Discover the popular plastic resins for injection molding and get to know each type to determine which one is the perfect plastic resin for the products you are trying to make. Also, get to know the difference between plastic resin and plastic.

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Introduction

plastic resins for injection molding

There are many ways to fabricate plastic products nowadays but injection molding has been one of the most popular and reliable ways to manufacture custom made plastics. Now the tricky part is choosing the best plastic resin for injection molding. I have written this article to help you out choose the best plastic resin for injection molding.


The Process of Injection Molding

The process of injection molding requires the use of an injection molding machine, resin plastic, and a mold. The resin plastic is heated until it melts and then added in the injection molding machine and then injected into the mold. After it is added into the mold, it cools down and solidifies into the final product.

Now as you know the process for plastic molding manufacturing, it is time for you to know, the best plastic resins for injection molding, and the types of products different plastic resins make.

Before talking about the types of plastic and the plastic resins for injection molding, I want you to know about plastic resin. Below, I have mentioned what is a plastic resin and the key difference between plastic resin and plastic.


What is Plastic Resin?

Plastic resins are the main base of all plastics. Resins are created with heat that cracks the hydrocarbons known as the cracking process. Moreover, resins are produced from plant oozes and are organic.

The main difference between plastic and resin is that plastic is synthetic while resins are organic.


The Types of Plastic Resins

1 – Polyethylene Terephthalate 

2 – High-Density Polyethylene 

3 – Polyvinyl Chloride 

4 – Low-Density Polyethylene 

5 – Polypropylene 

6 – Polystyrene 

7 – Other

These are the 7 main types of plastic resins. Below I will mention the best plastic resin for injection molding and you can also check out these articles to know about plastic resin prices in the market.


sample plastic resins for injection molding

The Best Plastic Resins for Injection Molding

  1. Nylon
  2. Polycarbonate
  3. Polyethylene
  4. Thermoplastic polyurethane
  5. Polystyrene

These are arguably the best plastic resin for injection molding.

Nylon

Nylon (also known as PA Polyamide) is a plastic resin that has many advantages in injection molding. It is tough, has a high melting point, and is also resistant to chemicals. Because of its high melting point, nylon is commonly used in hot environments. Nylon is often used in automotive parts, clothing, etc. as well. You can also use Nylon for 3d printing. 

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is a decent choice for injection molding as it has many advantages. First of all, it is very durable. Secondly, when molding with polycarbonate precise dimensional control can be maintained as it has predictable mold shrinkage. However, this resin would not be suitable for food storage and preparation as it contains Bisphenol A(BPA).

Polyethylene

Polyethylene is a lightweight plastic resin that also has many advantages and can be a good choice if you are into injection molding. The advantages of polyethylene include high chemical resistance, elasticity, etc. It is not very strong or tough, but still, this plastic resin is used in a wide variety of plastic products (mainly packaging), such as plastic bottles, plastic bags, and trash cans, etc.

Thermoplastic Polyurethane

Thermoplastic polyurethane is known as TPU is also a very good resin for injection molding because of its elasticity and tear strength. It does not use plasticizers as well. TPU bridges the material gap between rubbers and plastics. TPU, because of its soft and elasticity and tear strength, is often used to produce rubber-like products. It also performs well at higher temperatures and is also used in power tools, cable insulation, etc.

Polystyrene

Polystyrene is a very common plastic resin for injection molding among plastic design and manufacturing companies. If we talk about polystyrene, two types of polystyrene are commonly used. One is High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) and the other one is General Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS). General Purpose Polystyrene is transparent. On the other hand, High Impact Polystyrene is opaque. Many things are made using High Impact Polystyrene such as plastic boxes, plastic trays, etc. General-purpose Polystyrene makes products like test tubes, CD cases, plastic cups, etc.


Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed usable plastic resins for injection molding. The injection molding process and briefly described a plastic resin and its difference towards plastic.

Further in the article, we discussed the most common types of plastic resins and the best and the most common plastic resins used for injection molding. We described each of the plastic resins and listed the products that can be made from those resins through injection molding.

It is all up to the type of plastic prototype manufacturing you want to make through injection molding; this will decide what plastic resin will be suitable for you.

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