Partnering with a Thermoplastic Company: What to Know

Are you ready to learn about thermoplastic? You’ve probably heard of this product a good bit in the past few years—you might even want to work with a thermoplastic company in the near future. Conversion Technologies International is ready to walk you through what that might look like; as well as the many uses of this incredible polymer.

What does thermoplastic do?

Just as the name suggests, a thermoplastic is, well, a plastic polymer. What distinguishes thermoplastic from other types, however, is what makes it moldable. A thermoplastic becomes pliable when exposed to heat. You can work with thermoplastic more easily in this state. However, once it cools it hardens again—maintaining the shape you created.

Because of its malleability, we use thermoplastics for a variety of different purposes. It’s perfect for certain forms of manufacturing, allowing you to get creative without compromising stability. In some cases, you may deal with brittleness. Fortunately, you can actually strengthen the thermoplastic by adding plasticizers. This illustrates exactly how flexible—literally and metaphorically—the plastic is. It can be whatever you need it to be.

One of the best things about thermoplastics is that, brittleness aside, it’s remarkably sturdy. You can work and rework the product multiple times without weakening it. As such, it’s also the perfect product for recycling and reprocessing.

When working with an expert thermoplastic company, you push this product even further. Experienced manufacturers like CTI know exactly how to get the most out of thermoplastic. We can get creative with it—while offering the most consistent results possible.

What are the other advantages of working with thermoplastics?

We’ll delve further into the recyclability of thermoplastic later—first, let’s get into some of the broader advantages of using this product.

Not only is thermoplastic strong; it’s also specifically resistant to impact. Even the strongest of products can crack under pressure. However, once you’ve added plasticizers to a thermoplastic, it can withstand heavy impact for the long term. Of course, this naturally increases the longevity of the product as well.

Along with its impact resistance, thermoplastic also offers slip resistance. While this may not seem like a major factor in theory, it makes products easier to handle. The point of thermoplastic is that it yields such a wide variety of products, and slip resistant contributes to that.

Additionally, thermoplastic is resistant to corrosion—which is even more valuable than typical impact resistance. Corrosion usually happens over time. Even simple exposure to the environment can cause a product to corrode, and the more you prevent that, the longer a product lasts.

Finally, thermoplastic acts as an electrical insulator, too. This allows us to use it on a more industrial level.

What kind of products can we make out of thermoplastics?

As we said above, the great thing about thermoplastic products is that they suit so many purposes. Some of the products we create with thermoplastic include:

• CDs and DVDs
• Cable insulation
• Non-stick pots and pans
• Paint
• Furniture
• Toys
• Roofing
• Play equipment
• Greenhouses
• Medical devices
• Waterproof clothing
• Food packaging

Thermoplastic stretches and hardens as we require. It tends to be more environmentally friendly than some of its competitors, while at the same time being resistant to chemicals. Although it isn’t indestructible, thermoplastic holds up better than other flexible materials. This makes it ideal for all of the products above, despite their variability. You wouldn’t think that paint has a lot in common with waterproof clothing. But thermoplastic really can cover it all!

One of the products you’ll see most frequently compared to thermoplastic is thermosetting plastic. Again, it’s all in the names. Thermosetting plastic hardens and cures when exposed to heat. This process makes the plastic heat resistant. However, once we cure a thermosetting plastic, we can’t reshape it. As such, this plastic is less flexible than thermoplastic, making it less than ideal for many manufacturers. If you’re looking for a thermoplastic company in the USA, you’ll find that some of them don’t work with thermosetting plastic at all.

How does a thermoplastic company recycle its products?

The process for recycling thermoplastic is actually fairly simple. The key component is reheating the thermoplastic. Once it’s pliable again, we can reshape it—which is exactly how we recycle it. We’re literally turning the thermoplastic product into a new form. In contrast, we can’t actually recycle a thermosetting plastic. This is yet another reason why modern companies often prefer to work with thermoplastics.

When we work with thermoplastic, we’re reducing the amount of single-use plastic products on the market. Many business owners prefer to be environmentally friendly when possible. On a moral level, it’s certainly preferable. On a more businesslike level, prioritizing the environment affords your company good PR. You can’t discount that—especially when your company is young.

In Conclusion

As you search for thermoplastic manufacturers near me, you’ll find that toll manufacturing and contract manufacturing companies are much more familiar with thermoplastic than they were years ago. CTI has fully embraced thermoplastic—it’s not going anywhere, and we’re happy to use it to its full advantage. Not only that; we’re fully ready to help our clients understand the product. If you have questions about thermoplastic and its uses, feel free to ask.

And here’s how you can do just that: Call CTI at 419-924-5566 or contact us here. Whether you’re looking to scale up your small business or representing a booming corporation, we can offer guidance. Don’t miss out—get ready to embrace thermoforming!