Generally most people don\'t give a great deal of thought to plastic, but this substance is useful and used in virtually every industry in the world. You might think that all plastics are the same, but there are several different kinds of plastic. One kind that is used to make many items we use every day as well as most types of plastic packaging is called thermoplastic. This type of plastic is heated and then molded into whatever shape is needed, thus the \"thermo\" portion of the word thermoplastic. All plastics are made using polymers, and here are a few of the polymers that are commonly used for thermoplastics.
One polymer that is both strong and transparent is PMMA or Poly(methyl methacrylate). Of course, we all know this thermoplastic by brand names such as Lucite or perhaps Plexiglas. This type of thermoplastic is used to create many products, such as acrylic glassware or perhaps the huge glass enclosures at a zoo or aquarium. PMMA also is used to make the windows for airplanes and the exterior headlights and taillights of vehicles. Even doctors use PMMA to create dental fillings, dentures, bone cement and some types of hard contact lenses.
We\'ve all heard of nylon, but you might not really think of it as a thermoplastic. The word nylon is actually the name for a category of synthetic polymers which first were produced in the 1930s. Today, nylon is one of the most frequently used polymers because it is resilient and durable. It also is very resistant to insects, mold and mildew. One of its first uses was to create durable parachutes during World War II when silk and hemp were in short supply. It is also used to make instrument strings, rope, tents and clothing. Of course, nylon is also used in the production of panty hose, which sometimes are simply called nylons.
Teflon is yet another type of thermoplastic and certainly one that is commonly known as the substance that keeps food from sticking to our cooking pots and pans. This synthetic polymer also goes by the scientific name of Polytetrafluroethylene or PTFE. Like nylon, this fluoropolymer was invented at DuPont albeit accidentally. Scientist Roy Plunkett discovered Teflon while trying to make a new type of refrigerant. This was in 1938, but it wasn\'t actually used in cookware until the 1950s. It\'s used for more than cooking; however, it also is used to make gears, bearings, fuel lines, computer mice and items made out of Gore-Tex.
Another type of thermoplastic that is quite commonly known is Poly(vinyl chloride). While you might not be familiar with this word, you most certainly have heard of its abbreviation, PVC. This type of thermoplastic is quite hard and inexpensive to produce and is used to make as much as half of the pipes made throughout the world. It also is used as insulation for electrical cables, used to make various signs and used to make containers for those little tubes that hold our blood when have it drawn at a hospital or clinic. PVC also has been used to create clothing, especially waterproof items such as coats and jackets and sometimes used as a substitute for leather clothes.
There are several other types of thermoplastics, such as polystyrene, which also is known as Styrofoam. Polyethylene is another type of thermoplastic that is used to make packaging that is highly resistant to various chemicals, so that drain cleaner and liquid bleach are placed in Polyethylene or PE containers. Polypropylene, also just called PP, is a plastic that is used to make microwave-safe plastic containers and diapers, just to name a few products.
