Resin

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Contents

Material specifications

  • MasterFormat number: N/A
  • Model number: N/A
  • Product name or series: Resins and Plastics

Leading manufacturers

  • 3form

Material application

Traditional material applications

Humans have used natural resins for thousands of years:

  • Pine pitch: used to seal boats, mummies, food containers
  • natural resins used in paints, inks, varnishes, perfumes, jewelry, the decorative material amber

Synthetic resins are commonly used in:

  • plastics
  • varnishes, paints, ink, textiles
  • containers, toys, dishware
  • adhesives in wood products

Emerging/innovative material applications

  • decorative wall panels
  • doors
  • windows
  • light fixtures
  • aerospace moulding
  • insulation in walls (foam)

Physical properties

  • Synthetic resins (plastics) can be divided into two general categories: thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins

Thermoplastic resins: those that can be reshaped with the application of heat and pressure

  • Common examples: Polycarbonate (PC), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density polyethylene (LDPE), Nylon (Polyamide), Polyvinylchloride (PVC), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Acrylic, acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polypropylene (PP), and Acetal.

Thermosetting resins: those that can only be heated and formed once due to the curing process (either chemical or by heat). After it sets it cannot be remoulded.

  • Common examples: polyester, phenol-formaldehyde resin, urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine formaldehyde resin, polyurethane, and epoxy resin
  • Finish: Resins are often used as a finish (for wood) because it provides a waterproof layer of protection, and brings out the beauty of the product. There are a wide variety available, and each one can make the piece being finished look different. Varnish and penetrating resin are the two most basic types because they are the most durable. Varnish is a surface coat that protects what is underneath it; penetrating resin goes into the wood as its name suggests, and hardens as part of it. Varnish provides the better surface protection, but penetrating resin is easier to reapply and doesn't chip.
  • Surface forms/shapes: Resins can take any shape because it melts when heat and pressure is applied, and conforms to whatever mould it is set in. Plastics are typically sold in sheets, tubes or rods. Adhesive resins can be sold in liquid form (e.g. epoxy resin).
  • Dimensions: Polymer resin sheets are sold primarily in 4’x8’ or 4’x 10’ sheets.

Acoustic properties

  • Spray polyurethane foam (SPF) is used as insulation in walls and roofs; insulation helps as a sound barrier

Structural properties

  • All plastics are polymers
  • They are hydrocarbons: polymers of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms bonded along the backbone. Different combinations of these hydrocarbons create different types of plastics—PVC uses chloride, nylon uses nitrogen, Teflon uses fluorine, polyester and polycarbonates use oxygen

Installation and maintenance

  • The biggest issue that causes depreciation in plastic is scratching. Scratches can be removed with sanding and buffing.
  • Other maintenance fees include the cleaners you need to clean the surface, and the occasional coat of polish. (Never use cleaners that contain ammonia!)

Cost analysis

Sample life cycle cost analysis:


Purchase

  • 4’x8’ Basic Eco Resin Door Panel (must be cut down to 3’x7’) - $300 per panel
  • Hardware (Frameless ceiling mount sliding door) - $500 for rail system
  • Add ons and Design Features (E.g. Colour) - $500
  • Shipping (50 lbs, from Salt Lake City, UT to Toronto, ON) - $500
  • Installation - $200
  • Total: $2000.00 (Average Total: $2,413.04)

Maintenance (average life of 30 years)

  • Regular seasonal cleaning (Mild detergent, warm water, and wet chamois) - $10 x 4 seasons/year x 30 years = $1200
  • Repair scratches (Fix with heat gun) - $30 x 4 seasons/year x 30 years = $3600

Demolition and Disposal

  • Uninstall door - $100
  • Free Disposal through 3form as long as: Kept installation specs, package back onto palette, call 3form with free pick up - $0


Total Life Cycle Cost: $7313.04

Extra Value: Panels also qualify for LEED credits

Material background

Place of origin / raw state / composition

  • there are natural and synthetic resins

Natural resins:

  • can come from plants (e.g. tree sap)
  • plant resin can be clear to dark brown; varies also in opacity and hardness
  • female lac insect also produces lac resin

Synthetic resins:

  • made in the laboratory by mixing chemicals
  • more stable and uniform in composition than natural resins, also cheaper to refine
  • these resins make up the polymers usually used in plastics

Harvesting and manufacturing process

When mixed with formaldehyde, melamine resin is created which is a synthetic polymer. The polymer creates a mold which allows for any shape. To produce the melamine resin one mixes melamine with neutralized formaldehyde solution. One then takes the mixture and heats it to 75 to 80 degree Celsius waiting until the mixture becomes cloudy, then water is added. The mixture is cooled and dried at 70 to 80 degrees Celsius allowing for the condensation reaction process to proceed. Once the process is over the finished product is melamine resin. “Melamine resin is a very versatile material with a highly stable structure.” It has a fixed mold known as thermoset plastic which is often difficult to recycle due to its compound, but, if exposed to a hot enough temperature, the plastic will decompose.

The polymerization of plastic is carried out in polymerization plants. Here they produce polymer resins. Certain characteristics can be added to the polymer resins like dyes, flame retardants or plasticizers. These final polymer resins are usually shaped into beads or pellets where they are then processed into the final product. There are four typical types of molding and they all involve heating, molding, and cooling of the polymer pellets.

  • Extrusion: Pellets are heated and mixed in a long chamber, forced through a small opening and cooled with water or air.
  • Injection molding: melted pellets are forced under high pressure into a cold mold.
  • Blow molding: (used in conjunction with extrusion or injection molding) resin gets heated and cooled into a liquid tube and then compressed air gets blown into the tube.
  • Rotational molding: heated resin is poured into a mold that rotates on three planes; this allows the plastic to be easily distributed on all sides of the mold- creating a hollow item.

History

The first discovery of plastic was introduced at the International Exhibition in London, 1862. Discovered by organic chemist Alexander Parkes, the plastic material which was then dubbed the name “Parksine” claimed to have the same properties as rubber but had a lower cost, was moulded with heat and retained its shaped when cooled. This material was one of the first thermoplastics. In the early 1900s, a New York chemist, Leo Baekeland created a synthetic liquid resin called “Bakelite resin”. He could control the amount of heat and pressure applied to better control the reaction of the substance. Once solidified, it did not burn, melt, boil, or dissolve in any commonly used acid or solvent. This material was the first thermoset plastic. In the 1940s, various chemists substituted and inserted chemicals into the plastic chemical chain to develop new materials with new properties. These materials include nylon, acrylic, neoprene, polyethylene, Teflon, and many others. These durable and inexpensive materials took the place of many existing materials. For example, the fur on a toothbrush was replaced by nylon fibres, transforming the toothbrush into a more durable and efficient tool.

Cultural Significance

There are several opposing views on resins and plastics There are those who glamourize plastic:

  • Some think that plastic is a wonderful invention; its versatility make them so widely used that we often forget their presence around us
  • Some think plastic is on the cutting edge of technology; plastic can make smooth, streamlined and modern looking surfaces; it is a safer, cost-efficient, more user-friendly replacement for many traditional materials (e.g. a plastic cup is better for children than a drinking glass).
  • Plastics represent equity, since plastics are affordable and thus have made many products available for more people.

There are those who have negative views on plastics:

  • Plastics can represent superficiality and cheapness, since it can be made into fake imitations of more expensive mamterials
  • In the 1970s, when society began to pick up on environmental awareness, plastics were associated with wastefulness and disaster. Many environmentally conscious people still think negatively of the material today.

Environmental impact

Ecological footprint

  • Plastics are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. 4% of total oil consumption in the world is from plastic production.
  • When heated or burned, many plastics give off toxic fumes like nitrogen oxide, cyanide and acid gases
  • Plastics constitute the third largest group of municipal solid waste in the U.S.


LEED

Some companies are coming up with LEED certified plastics, that can actually help contractors earn LEED points for their buildings. LEED awards points for both post-consumer recycled and rapidly renewable materials used. When 10% of the total cost of a building's construction materials is for post-consumer recycled materials, 1 LEED point is awarded. Also, every 2.5% of the total materials cost that is used on rapidly renewable materials generates 1 point.

  • Example: SIL90BA-220ECO unsaturated polyester. It is designed for general-purpose cast marble applications. It contains 5.5% rapidly renewable content and 15% post-consumer recyclate. That would generate 3 points.

Recycling and biodegradability opportunities

  • Recycling plastics is possible, but is difficult because of the tedious and costly sorting and cleaning processes required in maintaining a high quality plastic. As a result, many plastic products end up in bulky packages that take up a lot of space in the landfill.
  • Though the process is difficult and can be costly, plastics can be recycled. According to the American Chemistry Council, once collected, plastics go through the following steps:
    • Sorting out plastics according to type and weeding out contaminants and inappropriate types of plastic
    • Shredding and washing
    • Separation based on density
    • Drying
    • Melting
    • Draining through fine screens to remove more contaminants
    • Cooling and shredding into pellets
    • Selling back to plastic companies


  • First of all, plastics need to be sorted according to type. Most plastics are immiscible with one another because they have different chemical compositions and different melting points. If they are not properly blended, the resulting product will be of a lower grade, and will therefore be harder to resell to companies for product fabrication. Sorting plastics can be a costly venture; in order to improve recycling opportunities, there needs to be a more economic and efficient way of sorting the recycled materials. In the melting process recylers need to be wary of temperatures that are too high as these will damage the material. The recycled plastic is mixed with virgin material to ensure a standard of quality.
  • Several concerns regarding recycled plastics currently remain. Will they damage the processing machines? What are the long-term effects of repeated processing on plastic? Will mixing recycled products with virgin material degrade faster?


Bioplastics

New, more environmentally friendly options are being experimented with. Bioplastics consist of biopolymers—polymers that occur naturally—and additives. Examples of these organic sources include corn, potatoes, soy and sugar beets.

Although there is potential for these products, they have not yet been widely accepted in the market.

  • As biopolymers are new products, they are very expensive: they cost around $2.00 to $2.40 per pound in comparison to under $1.00 per pound of polypropylene, a conventional plastic.
  • The energy needed to transform plants into plastic may actually surpass the energy needed for normal plastic production. A cradle-to-factory gate analysis showed that corn-based plastic required more energy for its production than conventional plastic, because corn harvesting requires a large amount of energy. However, thermoplastic starch, a biopolymer, was found to perform better than polyethylene, a conventional plastic, in all categories of the study. A
  • Bioplastics may not be suitable for applications that require indefinite structure: what if they biodegrade on the spot or are susceptible to insects?

These concerns will only continue to drive more research and innovation. As more plastic options become available, ask your plastic and resin suppliers for alternatives that are low in VOC emissions, that are recycled, or that are biodegradable. Be sure that the properties of the plastic are applicable to the intended use.

Life safety & rating standards

Testing methods

ASTM, ISO, IEC, and UL standards are the most common.

Coefficient of friction

  • Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a type of plastic, has a remarkable chemical resistance,and has the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid, i.e. it is slippery. PTFE is commonly known as Teflon®, which is recognized worldwide as the material in non-stick cooking pans.
  • Nylon also has a low coefficient of friction, making it suitable for sporting equipment, since it reduces abrasion.

References

Notes

Student contributions

  • IRT 201 Class, Fall 2010, Ryerson University
  • IRT 201 Class, Fall 2011, Ryerson University

See also

Similar materials

  • Acrylic is one of the most common types of thermoplastic resins.
  • Melamine resins


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