Polymer compounds are one of the most widely used and applied polymer materials in the chemical industry, which are used to increase the stability and resistance of plastic materials. In fact, these products are composed of a combination of polymer and a kind of powder to strengthen polymer structures.
The reason for using these materials in the production of polymer products is that many manufacturers face problems such as physical weakness, reduction of properties, undesirable color, prolongation of the production process, etc. in order to produce polymer-based products. Like compounds and masterbatches, they strengthen the properties of the polymer and their desired production processes.
Another definition of polymer compounds
In a more precise definition, a polymer compound is a mixture of one or more polymers or different additives to increase physical, mechanical, thermal, etc. properties for proper shaping through plastic injection, extrusion, etc. processes. Compounds are usually sold in the form of granules in the market, and the units producing compounds are called companders.The discussion of cost and time saving is one of the things that can be significantly reduced by using compounds.
Production method of polymer compounds
In general, many processes must go through to produce compounds. The most important process that plays a key role in the production of these materials is the melting stage, which is carried out in a machine called an extruder. At the beginning of the process, additives and base polymers are combined with each other and enter the machine and then exit the extruder.
After this stage, the obtained material must be cooled, so the molten material removed from the extruder enters the cooling system and is cooled. Then, the cooled compounds, which are generally solid, are cut into different dimensions and sizes, and finally the desired compound is obtained.
Compounds must be stored and packaged under certain temperature conditions; Because there may be changes in their properties and quality, in case of quality loss, they have to go through the production process again from the beginning, repeating this cycle is costly and time-consuming, so such problems should be prevented.
Characteristics of polymer compounds
Polymer compounds consist of three main components, each of which has its own task to increase the properties of the final material. These three main components are polymer base, compatibilizer and chemical additives.
In the first part, it should be noted that additives such as compound and masterbatch, which have a polymer base, must be added to a product that has a polymer base, so that they can be more easily combined with the desired polymer.
The compatibility factor (the second part) is another important and fundamental part of the compound, whose task is to create compatibility between the additives and the polymer base. If compatibility or polarity and non-polarity between the polymer base and chemical additives are not observed, the additives will not be evenly distributed in the produced compound and as a result, they will not have the required quality.
The third component is chemical additives that create the required properties by adding it to the polymer base of the compound. Some of these additives are only color additives whose task is to change the color of the desired polymer.
The difference between compound and masterbatch
The mechanism of compounds and masterbatches is the same, but the difference between these two substances is the percentage of each added in the final products.
In fact, compounds are compounds that are used completely and without any additional compounds to produce plastic products. But on the other hand, in some cases, masterbatches cannot be used alone to produce a plastic injection piece, so it is necessary to use them together with polymer bases and necessary additives directly to produce the final product.
Application of polymeric compounds
Polyethylene compound is one of the types of polymer compounds that are used in various industries such as the production of irrigation pipes, pressure pipes and wind films. Another application that can be mentioned is for the production of car bumpers, which requires compounding polypropylene with a rubber material such as EPDM to increase the impact properties at ambient temperatures and negative temperatures.
Other uses of polymer compounds include the production of household appliances and automobiles, the production of electrical and electronic components, the production of disposable and dairy containers through the thermoforming process, sewer pipes (Bush Fit), hoses, five-layer pipes, etc.
In general, the production of a compound is done by compounding companies based on the customer’s order and his level of expectations.
Types of polymer compounds
Polymer materials are widely used in various industries, and polyethylene type polymer is one of the most widely used materials.
1-Polyethylene compound
Polyethylene pipe compound is considered as a type of water supply pipe which is made from the combination of compound with a percentage of carbon black as raw material. In fact, the composition of polyethylene compound consists of high-quality industrial waste and new materials that have high resistance to sunlight, suitable properties and affordable price. In addition to the reasonable price and quality, the polyethylene pipe compound has an excellent plasticity process, which has the ability to compete in the domestic and foreign markets of water supply pipes.
2-Polypropylene compound
These compounds are mostly of the composite type and are used in the production of car parts and household appliance parts, pipes and fittings.
3- Engineering compound
To design a new part according to the conditions of use of that part, such as mechanical strength, resistance to acids and chemical solvents, wear resistance, ozone resistance, long life, creep, etc., and of course, considering the mold shrinkage and Plastic injection conditions, compander units produce engineering compounds based on customer needs, usage conditions, and mold design.
4-Compounds reinforced with glass fibers
This group of polymer compounds has suitable mechanical and thermal properties and the possibility of using them in industries such as automobiles, household appliances, electrical and electronics is more.
5- Filling compounds
This group of compounds are also available in different filler percentages and on different polymer bases. The advanced formulation used in these compounds causes the use of these compounds to reduce the price of the final product in addition to providing desirable properties. These compounds are used in many processes including extrusion, thermoforming and plastic injection.
6-sound insulation compounds
These compounds based on polypropylene filled with a high percentage of barium sulfate are used to create sound insulation properties in sewer pipes (push fit) and structures where sound insulation is important.
7-Rheological cleaning compound
Due to its special rheological properties, this compound is offered as a cylinder, die and die cleaner in polymer process devices such as film, tube, sheet and cardboard. . The use of this compound allows the removal of impurities and color change very quickly with minimal waste in the above processes.
The reason for using polymer compounds
In general, in some equipment used in industries, such as plastic injection equipment or extruders, masterbatch cannot be added to the main polymer bases. In such a situation, factories are forced to use compounds so that the quality of their final product does not decrease. On the other hand, from the economic and health point of view, using compound to produce the final product is much more economical than masterbatch, because in this situation, the cost of cleaning and combining masterbatch and polymer base will be waived.
فارسی
English
العربية
简体中文
Türkçe
