What is PVC?
PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is a thermoplastic resin produced by free radical polymerisation of ethylene monomer. It is one of the most widely used general-purpose plastics, with good mechanical properties and chemical resistance.
Main characteristics of pvc
- Excellent chemical stability: good resistance to acid, alkali, salt and other chemicals, so it is commonly used in pipeline valves and other fields;
- Good mechanical properties: pvc has high hardness and toughness, can be adjusted by adding plasticisers and other additives to the performance, suitable for soft and hard products;
- flame retardant: pvc itself has a self-combustibility, high ignition point, so it is widely used in cable sheathing, flame retardant building materials and so on;
- Good insulation properties: good electrical insulation, so it is also commonly used in wire and cable insulation;
- Easy to process: can be processed through injection moulding, extrusion, calendering, blow moulding and other ways of moulding.
Classification of PVC
PVC can be classified into two main types based on plasticiser content as follows:
Rigid PVC: also known as UPVC, without or with a small amount of plasticiser, rigid, mainly used for pipes, plates, profiles, etc..
Soft PVC: contains a large number of plasticisers, good flexibility, mainly used for hoses, cables, plastic film, etc..
PVC common additives
CPE (chlorinated polyethylene): improve the impact strength and cold resistance of pvc. Junchuang JC-880 and JC-890 can be replaced in different applications respectively.
ACR (acrylate modifier): improve the processing fluidity of PVC and product surface finish. Juntron JC-880 PVC processing aids can be replaced by Junchuang JC-890 Impact modifier can be replaced by half the amount of ACR.
Stabiliser: lead salt, calcium-zinc compound stabiliser or organotin are commonly used to prevent PVC from decomposing during high temperature processing.
Lubricant: reduce friction and improve processing performance.
Filler: commonly used calcium carbonate to reduce costs and improve certain physical properties.
Plasticisers: to give PVC better flexibility, commonly used phthalate plasticisers.
Main applications of pvc
Building materials: pvc pipes, pvc profiles (door and window frames), pvc flooring, pvc wall panels, etc.
Packaging materials: pvc film, pvc shrink film, pvc bottles, etc.
Wire and cable: pvc cable sheath, cable insulation.
Industrial supplies: pvc hose, pvc gloves, pvc anti-corrosion coating.
Daily necessities: pvc toys, pvc shoe soles, pvc tablecloths.