The 5 Most Common types of Plastics & Their Everyday Uses

The plastics are manufactured materials which are made by polymerization of small organic molecules having higher molecular weight such as Bakelite, polyethylene, Teflon, and PVC etc.

Have you ever imagined how difficult our life would be without plastics, and how sectors would have survived to flourish, as it is doing right now? Most importantly, what inferior materials we would have to use in place of plastic sheets?

Do you know the reason behind the rapidly increasing scope of plastic or POM sheet suppliers in industrial sector these days? The reason is, plastic materials are effective permeating each and every aspect of our modern day life. From shelf life to stationaries, artistic, shopping bags, and industrial use, the role of plastic sheet and rods is been warmly embraced by many industry experts today.

Plastic is not only made of one material but a group of materials. There are so many different types of plastic material, and a lot of them, like polyethylene, PVC, acrylic, etc., have incredibly useful and versatile properties.

Once you get down this blog, you’ll learn more different types of plastics along with some of their everyday uses. Let’s get started

The Most Significant, yet Common types of Plastics for everyday use

1.   Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

PET is one of the best plastic material that comes into physical contact on a daily basis, depending on the type of procedure used for manufacturing it.

PET plastic can be completely rigid or flexible, and since it is made of molecular construction, so it’s impact, chemical and weather resistant.

Common uses of PET:

·         Soft drink

·         Cooking

·         Water

·         Frozen ready-meal trays,

·         Oil bottles

·         Packaging trays,

·         First-aid blankets,

·         Polar fleece

2.   High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

HDPE is a solid material with an incredible strong density that is able to endure high temperatures and strong chemicals.

The reason why this plastic is used on a regular basis is, it can be recycled in multiple ways and can be converted into different things as well.

The best uses of HDPE are:

·         Cleaning solution and soap containers

·         Food and drink storage, shopping bags

·         Bottle caps

·         Vehicle fuel tanks

·         Protective helmets

·         Freezer bags, pipes, insulation

·         Faux-wood planks

·         Recycled wood-plastic composites

3.   Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

The polyvinyl chloride plastic is very versatile to substance and natural harm, and it’s quite cost effective to produce as well. PVC is easy to work with, and can be mold into shapes; this factor makes it exceptionally unique, and extremely practical material.

PVC has proven to be the most versatile product In terms of properties. It can be used for making lightweight sheets as Foamex, and can also be used to make artificial calfskin materials like leatherette and bonded leather.

Other uses of PVC plastics include;

·         Furniture

·         Clothing

·         Tubing

·         Water and sewage pipes

·         Cables

·         Flooring, cladding

·         Vinyl records

·         Cleaning solution containers

·         Water bottles
4.   Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

LDPE is a highly non-reactive material, the best reason to be among one of the highly used plastics in the current era. This plastic material can withstand temperatures moving toward 100°C, and however it isn't as solid as HDPE (its high thickness partner), it is positively stronger.

LDPE plastic is widely used in;

·         Lids, '6-ring' drink holders,

·         Drink cartons,

·         Protective shells,

·         Bin-bags

·         Laundry bags

·         Trays

·         Work surfaces

·         Machine parts

·         Computer hardware casings

·         Playground fixtures (slides and the like)

5.   Poly Oxy methylene (POM)

POM is also known as polyacetal, acetyl, and polyformaldehyde. This is the most sought-after plastic material used in various industries being an engineering thermoplastic.

It is utilized as a part of accuracy parts requiring high solidness, low contact, and great dimensional steadiness. The best characteristics of POM sheets are;

·         Good creep resilience

·         High impact strength even at low temperatures

·         High mechanical strength

·         Strong dimensional ability

·         Excellent machinability

·         Weather ability (UV) stabilized