SYNDIOTACTIC POLYSTYRENE CAN HELP SOLVE THE 3-PIECE MATERIAL SELECTION PUZZLE: PROPERTIES, PROCESSING, COST

摘要

For injection molding, material selection involves three factors: properties, processing, and cost. Summing the factors determines part cost and profitability. Material properties are prerequisite to application requirements. Processing is prerequisite to part design. Cost vs. the marketable price of the application determines if and how the part should be made. A material must meet the prerequisite performance for the application but it does not need to have the highest available properties. Processing conditions, particularly cycle time, directly affect cost. Price and the forgotten property, specific gravity, directly go to the bottom line. Graphs show costs of semi-crystalline thermoplastics vs. properties, processing, and part cost. New materials like syndiotactic polystyrene provide cost effective solutions vs. established semi-crystalline polymers.