When choosing a plastic raw material, the first step should be to look for the material with the proper physical properties. PVC (Polyvinylchloride or Rigid Vinyl) is an amazingly strong and versatile material that has proven itself a champion in the ever growing demand for mechanical grades of plastic.  We can see its wide versatility in the way it is used and how it can keep up with the rough conditions it’s put under.  PVC Pipe has been shown to take a beating in construction sites and it serves its purpose underneath our front lawns for our sprinkling systems.  There are many more ways this strong industrial grade PVC can be used. 

PVC for a wide variety of industrial and mechanical applications

A standard industrial plastics, it is available as PVC Sheet or PVC Rod. The PVC, unlike other materials, is very easy to work with.  It’s not necessary to buy expensive tools to get the job done.  You can use the most of the same tools you would use on wood and steel.  Unlike other materials, PVC can be kept cool easily using cold water or you can use an air compressor. Standard CNC equipment, punch machines, routers, drills and saws can all be used to shape PVC.  If you wanted to seal and bond this material, that’s not a problem because like the PVC Pipe, the sheets and rods can be bonded with cements or heat welded.  The cost of PVC is also lower than most other plastic materials that are harder to work with. So you can see why PVC should be on your short list of plastic materials.

Standard sheet sizes and thicknesses for PVC Sheet

The standard sheet size for PVC is 48” x 96”.  Some of you may know those measurements because that is also the standard size of drywall and plywood.  Because PVC comes in the same sizes as other common materials it would be fairly easy to store.  As for the thickness .062” – 3” are the most standard thicknesses, but it can be made thicker if needed.  The material cuts and fabricates well, and we do offer cutting to your blank or precision sizes. We also cut the rest of the industrial and engineering plastics, including: Acetal/Delrin, Nylon, PEEK, Ultem, and dozens more; call for details.

PVC Sheets take a beating

PVC has many excellent properties, including the unbelievable UL 94 V-0 flame rating. This certification means that the Rigid Vinyl material is fire retardant, and is considered ‘self extinguishing. By now you are probably were thinking “PVC sounds great so far, but I wanted to paint and screen print on a material”, then have no fear because PVC Sheeting is here!  PVC is also known for its ability to hold paint and a screen print.  It is heat bendable, vacuum formable in thinner gauges, and bondable to materials such as wood, paper and other plastics.  Because of PVC’s many usages and qualities we even see it being use to create house hold items.

  The material can be sanded, routed and you can eliminate scratches and scrapes by simply buffing  or sanding them away.  With PVC being so versatile and also low in cost, it’s no wonder why it is a top choice for manufacturing and engineering companies. Click here for

PVC material specifications.

For additional details or to get answers to your questions, click here to email us.

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The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post Machinge Shops Large Ecosystem, MFG.com, Gives Several Missouri … appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

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The post PVC Sheet Supplier, Boltaron is recognized for cutting carbon emissions appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post PVC Sheet Supplier, Boltaron is recognized for cutting carbon emissions appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post PVC Sheet Supplier, Boltaron is recognized for cutting carbon emissions appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

The post PVC Sheet Supplier, Boltaron is recognized for cutting carbon emissions appeared first on Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc..

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The plastic industry struggles with bad press over greater amounts of plastic in the land fills and oceans. This is understandable when the quantity of plastic products has skyrocketed. One of the biggest offender is the common shopping grocery sack. Most plastic materials are recyclable, and the demand has grown much faster than the supply. What is being done to ease this supply line shortage? Read more here…

Recycled resin demand drives support for EPR

By Mike Verespej| PLASTICS NEWS STAFF

WASHINGTON (May 22, 10:35 a.m. ET) — With demand for recycled resins continuing to outstrip supply, the voices are getting louder — and more organized — for creating some sort of extended producer responsibility program to increase the recycling of packaging materials, plastics and otherwise.

In the past two months, an alliance of more than 30 public interest groups and other supporting organizations formed the Cradle² coalition to push for public policy changes that would make manufacturers responsible for collecting and recycling the products and packaging they make.

“The broad implementation of EPR is still a long way off,” said Scott Mouw, recycling director for the state of North Carolina. “But these new advocacy groups for EPR are all reacting to the same thing. …(read more here)

The entire supply chain is affected. We receive calls regularly for our plastic materials, but clients want to know if they can get it in a recycled version. Most plastics we carry can be recycled, but most don’t make it back into sheets or rods due to FDA and NSF requirements. The most popular plastic we carry that are available as a recycled product are Reprocessed UHMW Sheets and Rods and Repro HDPE. The HDPE is available as post consumer content from milk jugs and laundry soap containers.

Contact us for more information on the recycled plastic materials you may need.

While you can purchase a piece of plastic from many different suppliers, there are some significant differences between these suppliers. Some of the main differences are in the manufacturers and the materials that you get supplied. 

We see a wide range of materials and some drastically inferior grades of materials being sold to clients. Some materials have been produced too quickly or cooled too quickly causing a very high stressed plastic piece.  These high stressed materials will warp, twist or crack when they get heated or during cutting. This material on the right is a piece of highly stressed Nylon. While cutting the material, our new customer had to stop the saw due to the severe warping and binding of the saw by this material. This new client brought this 24″ long part, and asked if we would cut it for him. We bought this part from him as an excellent example of a high stress plastic. (We did cut a quality piece of material to solve his problem). Other things you should consider when choosing a plastic supplier:

Quality of Materials

Origin of Materials

Expert Support

In Stock Materials

Cutting – Converting Services

Longevity – How Long Have They Been In Business (We started in 1975)

Product Knowledge and Experience

We believe that providing quality products is only part of our duty to you. You have intrusted us to help with your requirements, and we believe we should be good stewards of this trust. You should be advised if the material you are looking for is the ‘wrong’ material. Acrylic does not do well at 450 degrees. Styrene does not make a good chemical tank. HDPE and PTFE do not bond. These and many more ‘land mines’ are things we help our clients with everyday. We have an experienced client support team (plastic experts), and we value the opportunity to assist our clients with this experience. Go ahead, ask us a question – that is why we have a “Ask A Plasticologist” page on our website.

If you need help, from what are the properties of Acetal, to temperature range on Ultem, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you and all our clients. Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns or requests – call us at 866-832-9315 or e-mail us here.

A common standard item in the metals industry is ‘strip’. Strip is normally a piece of material that is 1/16″ – 3/8″ thick and 1.0″ – 4.0″ wide, although thicker and wider materials can also be referred to as strip. The metals industry produces various metals in these sizes of strip. In the plastics industry, strip is something we cut from larger sheets. The sizes are the same as listed above, but are cut from 48″ X 96″ or 48″ X 120″ sheets. 

The a few of the most common plastics materials we cut to strips are:

HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)

PTFE, TFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene)

UHMW – Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene

Acetal / Delrin

Nylon – Polyamide

PVC – Polyvinylchloride

Polycarbonate – Bayer Makrolon

Most plastics can be cut to these strip sizes, with various lengths available depending on type of material. In some materials and in some sizes, depending on quantity, special run to size and lengths may be available. Specifically, in the UHMW and PTFE materials, much longer lengths are available in rolls of material. The UHMW can be purchased in standard and adhesive back varieties. This UHMW with adhesive is a commonly used item in the wear strip applications because of its ease of installation. A large market for this kind of strip is in the food processing industry for all wear points and to reduce noise in the plant. Some of these same sizes with adhesive on the back are available in the PTFE (formerly referred to as Teflon), and are available in long tape style rolls. In some cases, colors other than natural are available, contact us for details.

Plastic Strip and Strips are available in special sizes

With the massive range of plastics available, and most of these materials available to be cut to strips, the nearly unlimited amount of choices in plastic strip availability make this post difficult to be all inclusive. Great material for the industrial, food processing, material handling, automotive and recreational industries.

Most plastics are available in large sheets, and we can cut these sheets to strip for you. Also, depending on the material, size and quantity, we can custom extrude your strip in longer lengths and to your requirements. Decide on a type of plastic, determine the size and quantity, and give us a call. Use your imagination, we can help.

If you have a project where strips would be ideal, please contact us to see if the type of material you need is available in the strip configuration that would be beneficial. Call us at: 866-832-9315 or drop us an email and we will be happy to go to work on your requirement.

Here is another popular question asked by our clients. Is HDPE the same as Acetal / Delrin?
No, they are two totally different materials. Although the natural color of both is a milky white to opaque white, and they do look a bit similar, they are not. (HDPE is milky white to almost translucent depending on thickness, and Acetal is a more opaque white to slightly milky – once again depending on thickness . See picture below of .500″ thick samples of HDPE and Acetal sheets)

HDPE and Acetal – Some Differences

The HDPE is a softer material, and is commonly known for its FDA certification and used in numerous food applications, such as: one gallon milk jugs, cutting boards, colored water glasses/cups, and many, many more. While it can be machined, because it is a bit softer and lighter, the tolerances it can be machined to are not very tight. It is not bondable, so it makes a great non-stick surface for sticky foods and adhesives.

The Acetal / Delrin also have FDA certification, and are used heavily in the food processing industry. This material is a more mechanical material and is used in bearing and wear applications, cams, feeder screws, etc. This material is can be machined to tight tolerances, and will wear for long periods without lubrication. Due to its exceptional wear properties, it is not bondable, thus requiring mechanical fastening or threads to assemble. It has a very low water absorption, and you will find it in your toilet tank as the white moving parts in the filler mechanism. It is an extremely popular material for machinists, as it works much like soft brass.

While HDPE and Acetal look similar, they perform quite a bit differently.

While both materials are FDA approved, are machinable and can be used to make rigid wear resistant parts, they are two different resins and have drastically different physical properties. Another major difference is in the weight of these items, HDPE weighs about 35% less than the Acetal material. Please check the data sheets for more information to assist in proper material selection. Acetal Data Sheet   HDPE Data Sheet

Acetal is commonly known as: Delrin, Ensital, Unital, Pomalux, Ultraform and many more.

HDPE is known as: Ultraethylux, Densetec, Polystone G, Fortiflex, Versadur, Hostalen, and many more.

Contact us for more details on the HDPE and Acetal families of plastic materials, e-mail us or call 866-832-9315

Things you should know about Polycarbonate Sheet, Sheets and Panels

A common misconception is that ‘all polycarbonate sheets are the same’. This is not true, as a matter of fact, it is far from a fact. While most manufacturers of polycarbonate sheets start with a similar base resin, this is where the similarities normally stop. Most polycarbonate sheet extruders run a base material far different from what the standard has been for the last 30 years. Most polycarbonate sheet is now made without the flame rating it had in the past. Polycarbonate Sheets are sometimes called ‘polycarbonate panels’ or ‘polycarbonate plates’, they are still made from the same high quality resins. One of the best known manufacturers of Polycarbonate resins and sheets is Sabic Polymers®, the manufacturers of Lexan® resin and Lexan® Sheet products. Over the last several years, Sabic has quietly discontinued the UL ratings on their Polycarbonate.

Industrial Plastic Supply And Makrolon GP

For more than 30 years, Industrial Plastic Supply has relied on the high quality Polycarbonate Sheets produced by Sheffield, now part of Bayer Material Science. Bayer has produced a crystal clear, ultra high impact strength resin, this Makrolon resin is the finest in the industry. Bayer has also chosen to continue to produce this high quality material with the UL 94 V-0 rating, the only supplier to continue this expensive, but extremely valuable service. Take a moment and look at your requirements, see if perhaps somewhere on the blue print is a note that states your polycarbonate material needs to be UL 94 V-0 approved or rated. If so, Makrolon GP is your only and best choice!

How is Makrolon Polycarbonate available

We supply Bayer Material Science Makrolon GP in flat panels, considered Polycarbonate Sheet or as Polycarbonate Sheets. We can cut theses sheet Polycarbonate materials  to strip or strips, blocks, or just a cut to size piece.  At Industrial Plastic Supply we have stocked large quantities of these materials, and continue to keep Makrolon GP and Makrolon FI sheets in stock. With a wide range of thicknesses ( .030″ – .500″ thick) and sheet sizes of 48″ X 96″, 60″ X 60″ and 72″ X 96″ as standard in .118″ – .500″, we can fill all your requirements.

Why you should use Makrolon Polycarbonate Sheet

Superior clarity, quality, surface finish, flame retardant and full USA factory technical assistance are just a few reasons. Buying polycarbonate sheets imported from somewhere half way around the globe, from an unknown manufacturer with little or no technical support can be very risky. Bayer/Sheffield manufacturers this premium quality polycarbonate sheet right here in the good old USA, in Sheffield, Massachusetts. They produce this crystal clear sheet on the latest and most technologically advanced extruders available, and have several warehouses for us to get material quickly for you. Why settle for an unknown? Can you afford to ‘try’ the other guys? Step up to the finest and still competitively priced, superior quality polycarbonate sheet, get Bayer Makrolon GP Polycarbonate Sheet for your next project.

Industrial Plastic Supply also carries the Westlake Zelux M and Zelux W Polycarbonate Plate. The Zelux M is a machine grade Polycarbonate Plate from .375″ – 4″ thick sheet, and the Zelux W is a clear – Window Grade thick Polycarbonate Plate in the same thickness range. Contact us for more information on this thicker material. We also supply other manufacturers grades of Polycarbonate Plate, including, but not limited to: Ensinger Plastics, Nytef Plastics, Rochling Plastics and more.

Contact us for more information or technical assistance on Polycarbonate or any other quality plastic sheet, rod or tube. Call us at 866-832-9315 or send us a quick note here.

Polypropylene Sheets in Industrial Applications

Known by a few different industry trade names including: Densitec®, Hostalen®, Marlex®, Protec®. Polypropylene is a very versatile and tough material that has many applications in both industrial and in manufacturing applications. Some examples of Polypropylene usage are: containers to store food products, industrial chemical tanks, medical trays, and fibers that are used to make indoor and outdoor carpeting.

A material that has the attributes of tensile strength, a resistance to high temperatures and is highly resistant to corrosion, Polypropylene is a unique material that can be used in the manufacture of chemical tanks that are used for the mixing of liquid materials that may have slight corrosive properties as part of their compounds.

Polypropylene is available in a wide range of sizes and shapes. We supply it in sheets that can be cut to size for whatever your application needs happen to be, and it is also available in white and black, which are also available in several different thicknesses. Polypropylene is also available as a rod, which is available in a large range of diameters from .250″ and up.

For a company that manufactures caustic compounds for resale to other B2B businesses, Polypropylene is the product that will meet your requirements as one of the most chemical resistant materials. It is a material that is resistant to temperatures of up to 180°F, and it is able to handle acids and caustic material as well as alkaline based materials.

Fabrication of Polypropylene Sheet – Welding

Polypropylene sheets are often fabricated, through welding, to produce chemical resistant tanks. The material is ‘welded’ through the use of very hot air, in a pin point application and the use of welding rod of the same material. This process produces a water tight seam, and is excellent for producing tanks. Polypropylene’s chemical resistance also means it can not be bonded or glued – thus the need for welding.

If you are looking for a material that has this type of tensile strength, it may be surprising to know that the garbage bags that we often use to dispose of our uneaten meals are made of Polypropylene (or HDPE). Another thing about this material is that it actually floats in water. The incredible toughness of Polypropylene material makes it a great choice in the manufacture of items like rope. Other plastics to consider for high chemical resistance are: Teflon, HDPE, UHMW and PVC; the choice of material depends on application and chemicals involved.

Another use of Polypropylene is in the medical field. This material has been used for orthotics, prosthetic limbs, and other medical devices. One use is during hernia procedures, where a simple patch of the material is placed over the actual area of the hernia. The material is rarely rejected by the body’s immune system.

Polypropylene is also very recyclable. It is number 5 on the list of common plastics. It is a common material for use in many household products, and is a popular material for injection molded parts because of its strength and stiffness. 

If your next job requires a rigid material that is FDA approved for certain applications, exhibits superior strength against corrosive materials, then Polypropylene Sheet and Rod may be an excellent choice.  It is versatile enough to be used in the medical field and even has been used in the radio control airplane field, where it’s gaining popularity as a material to form the bodies of these aircraft. When used in this application, a model airplane can absorb more of the kinetic energy that is caused by a crash, and the plane survives the impact much better than when traditional polystyrene foam has been used.

Polypropylene is a material that is versatile enough to meet just about any requirement that your particular project has to meet, and is available in sheets that are natural (translucent straw), white or black in color. It can be easily cut to meet your particular specifications, and is available in a wide range of thicknesses. Let us help you with your Polypropylene needs to complete on time and on spec.

Call us today at 866-832-9315 or click here to send us your request or questions.