TODAY WE ARE LOOKING AT...

• Where do materials come from?

• In what stock sizes and forms are they found?
• What properties do different materials have?

Open the textbook

to page: 36 & 37
The library has copies of this textbook
 Thermosetting Plastics
Once 'set' these plastics cannot be
reheated to soften, shape and mould

Thermo Plastics
These plastics can be re-heated and
therefore shaped in various ways.
 Stock Forms

Types Sheet Form Granule Form

Rods Range of Sheet sizes Plastic is often made
into granules ready to
heat and mould
Powder

Foam
 Injection Moulding

Molten plastic is injected under high pressure into a cooled, split mould to produce a
high precision moulding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bit-D1NnfjI
 Injection Moulding

Good Points Bad Points

• Complex shapes • Set up costs are
can be produced high
• High numbers • creating the
can be produced moulds are
quickly expensive
 Blow Moulding

A hot thermoplastic tube is inflated by compressed air into a cooled split-cavity mould
to produce a hollow moulding
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vSabFFQUr9E
 Blow Moulding

Good Points Bad Points

• Very fast process
• certain shapes
that can make large
cant be made
quantities
• creating the
• non circular
moulds are
products can be
expensive
made
 Vacuum Forming Line Bending
Often used in school. This
processes allows a strip of plastic
to be heated and then bent into a
particular shape.
Once cooled the plastic will retain
the new shape.

Thermoplastic sheet is heated and

forced under vacuum into contact
with a cooled form-mould to
produce a simple shaped moulding