Plastics are a material that is present in our environment every day. This is due to the many useful properties of plastic.
The main advantages of this material are its lightness, ease of shaping and low price. However, in order to produce an object of the desired shape, the plastic must be processed.
The industry uses various chemical substances called processing modifiers. These additives are divided into several groups according to their function. These include fluidizing additives, lubricants, anti-adhesives, dispersants, corrosion inhibitors and thixotroping agents. What are the properties of processing modifiers? How do they influence the material to which they are added?
Fluidizing additives are the agents that reduce the flow and softening temperature of polymers. They are characterized by low viscosity, which makes it possible to obtain the plastic quickly in a liquid form. Rodys L produced by the PCC Group – a manufacturer of specialist chemicals – is such fluidizing additive.
Corrosion inhibitors are substances that prevent corrosion of metal parts. Even a small amount of this agent protects the metal equipment used in the processing process. The inhibitors may be in liquid or solid form (as powders). An effective corrosion inhibitor is Chemstat Cl 1020, which allows you to process plastics efficiently without worrying about frequent changes to processing equipment components.
Thixotroping agents – these are additives that increase or decrease the viscosity of the modified plastic material. The role of such agents is to change the form of the plastic when it is subjected to shock or stress. Thixotroping agents (e.g. talc, silica or ground glass) make the liquid plastic thicker and the solids softer.
Anti-adhesives, dispersing and lubricant additives are agents that reduce internal and external friction. They are responsible for increasing the plasticity of the polymer, which prevents the plastic from sticking to metal parts of processing equipment. Such agents include Maxomer LUBE-E2SA-B.
Processing plastics without modifiers would not only be technologically difficult, but also very expensive. Among many advantages in plastics processing, modifiers save energy, time and money for companies operating in this sector.
