Polymer materials feature light weight, excellent processability and tunable properties, and are widely used in packaging, home appliances, automotive, medical, textile, chemical and many other sectors. Classified by performance grade and application, they fall into four major categories: general-purpose plastics, engineering plastics, specialty polymers, fibers and rubbers. Performance optimization, formula iteration, forming process upgrading and mass production verification of all polymer materials rely on professional polymer testing equipment, which serves as the core support for the R&D and industrialization of new materials. Below is an introduction to the characteristics, applications and matching R&D equipment of various polymer materials.
General-Purpose Plastics (Large output, easy processing, low cost, wide applicability)
With mature industrial application, low processing difficulty and high cost performance, general-purpose plastics are mainstream materials for civil use, packaging and basic industries. They can be processed via extrusion, film blowing, injection molding, cast film and other forming technologies.
●Polyethylene (PE)
Key Properties: Distinct grades with varied characteristics. Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) is soft, highly transparent and excellently resistant to low temperatures. High-density Polyethylene (HDPE) delivers higher rigidity, structural strength, chemical resistance and impermeability. Overall, PE is non-toxic, electrically insulating, highly plastic and easy to process.
Main Applications: Packaging films, cling film, plastic bags, water supply and drainage pipes, civil plastic containers, wire insulation sheaths and various flexible packaging products.
●Polypropylene (PP)
Key Properties: Low density and light weight with superior strength and rigidity compared with PE. It features good heat resistance suitable for microwave heating, excellent resistance to acids, alkalis and chemical solvents, high processing adaptability and outstanding cost performance.
Main Applications: Home appliance housings, lightweight automotive parts, food-grade packaging containers, industrial woven products, polypropylene fibers and general medical devices.
●Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Key Properties: Excellent flame retardancy, acid and alkali resistance, and stable electrical insulation. Its hardness can be adjusted by formula modification. Rigid PVC boasts high rigidity and deformation resistance, while flexible PVC is soft and elastic.
Main Applications: Building water supply and drainage pipes, door and window profiles, wire and cable insulation sheaths, artificial leather, rainwear and indoor floor materials.
●Polystyrene (PS)
Key Properties: Good light transmittance, easy coloration, high rigidity after forming and convenient processing. Its main drawbacks are brittleness and mediocre heat resistance, making it unsuitable for high-temperature working conditions.
Main Applications: Transparent food containers, disposable tableware, foamed cushioning materials, conventional home appliance shells and plastic toys.
Engineering Plastics (High strength, superior durability, ideal for structural load-bearing components)
Engineering plastics are characterized by high strength, wear resistance, fatigue resistance and stable heat resistance. They can replace part of metal materials and are widely used for high-end structural parts in precision machinery, automotive, electronic and electrical industries, which demand high forming precision and material uniformity.
●Polyamide (PA / Nylon)
Key Properties: Excellent toughness, wear resistance, self-lubricity, oil resistance and corrosion resistance. Its relatively high hygroscopicity may slightly affect the dimensional stability of finished products under varying humidity.
Main Applications: Precision gears, bearings, automotive transmission parts, electronic connectors, polyamide fabrics and other industrial and civil products.
●Polycarbonate (PC)
Key Properties: High transparency, exceptional impact resistance, reliable thermal stability and high dimensional accuracy after molding. It can be tinted and modified as required with comprehensive mechanical properties.
Main Applications: Automotive lamp covers, optical lenses, safety helmets, high-end electronic housings, food-grade containers and engineering daylighting panels.
●Polyoxymethylene (POM)
Key Properties: High rigidity, superior wear resistance and self-lubricating performance, together with prominent fatigue and aging resistance. It is heat-resistant and resistant to organic solvents, well suited for precision working scenarios.
Main Applications: Precision gears, micro bearings, garment zippers, automotive transmission components and structural parts for high-end precision machinery.
●Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Key Properties: High tensile strength, stable heat resistance and good light transmittance. It provides excellent barrier performance against gas and moisture, with uniform texture and favorable moldability.
Main Applications: Food and beverage bottles, polyester fibers, functional films and substrates for modified engineering plastics.
Specialty Polymers (High performance, for extreme working conditions & functional applications)
Specialty polymers possess unique properties such as extreme temperature resistance, superior corrosion resistance, high insulation and biocompatibility, meeting special requirements of high-end equipment, medical treatment, fine chemicals, high-precision electronics and other fields.
●Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE / Teflon)
Key Properties: Extremely low surface friction coefficient and top-tier self-lubricating performance. It withstands extreme high and low temperatures and resists corrosion by almost all chemical media, featuring excellent non-stick, hydrophobic and insulating properties.
Main Applications: Non-stick coatings for kitchenware, industrial sealing parts, anti-corrosion pipes for chemical industry, high-end bearings and insulating materials for high-frequency electronic devices.
●Polyurethane (PU)
Key Properties: Highly tunable performance, available in soft and rigid forms. It combines wear resistance, oil resistance and strong adhesion, and is compatible with diverse molding processes.
Main Applications: Sponge mattresses, foamed cushioning materials, wear-resistant shoe soles, industrial protective coatings, special adhesives, synthetic leather and elastic structural parts.
●Epoxy Resin (EP)
Key Properties: Ultra-strong adhesion, stable mechanical structure and good chemical resistance. It features low shrinkage after curing, ensuring high dimensional accuracy and long-term stability of finished products.
Main Applications: Special industrial adhesives, anti-corrosion coatings, matrix materials for carbon fiber/glass fiber composites, encapsulation of electronic components and industrial floor coatings.
●Silicone Rubber (SR)
Key Properties: Wide operating temperature range (-60℃ to 250℃), outstanding aging and weather resistance, reliable biocompatibility, excellent elasticity and air permeability.
Main Applications: Medical catheters, sealing gaskets, high-temperature resistant cable sheaths, industrial high-temperature seals and kitchenware accessories.
Fibers & Rubbers (Flexible polymers for segmented application scenarios)
Synthetic Fibers
●Polyester (PET): Mainly used for apparel, home textiles and industrial reinforcing filaments.
●Polyamide (PA): Widely applied to close-fitting garments, sportswear and tire cord fabrics.
●Polypropylene (PP): Ideal for non-woven fabrics, carpets and geotextiles.
●Spandex (PU elastic fiber): Serves as elastic base material for tight-fitting clothes and high-elastic sportswear.
Synthetic Rubbers
●Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR): Primarily for tire base materials and wear-resistant shoe soles.
●Butadiene Rubber (BR): Mainly used in tire manufacturing and industrial shock-absorbing components.
●Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR): Specialized in oil-resistant seals and oil delivery pipes.
●Chloroprene Rubber (CR): Applied to industrial adhesives, waterproof membranes and cable protective sheaths.
R&D & Testing Equipment Solutions for Polymer Materials
Formula improvement, performance optimization, process validation and pilot production of general-purpose and engineering polymers rely heavily on high-precision processing and testing equipment. With in-depth expertise in polymer R&D equipment, Guangzhou Putong has developed a full-range experimental equipment system tailored to the forming characteristics and modification demands of mainstream materials including PE, PP, PVC, PS and ABS. Our product lineup covers core processes such as compounding and modification, extrusion forming, stretching and shaping, film blowing and cast film production, effectively solving common challenges in new material R&D including unstable processes, difficult performance quantification and poor formula adaptability.
Film Biaxial Stretcher (For R&D of BOPP, LLDPE and other functional films)
●Process Features
Custom-designed for stretching and shaping of polyolefin films, this equipment supports uniaxial stretching, simultaneous biaxial stretching and sequential biaxial stretching. Independent servo control for X and Y axes enables precise adjustment of draw ratio from 1:1 to 10:1, perfectly meeting molecular orientation requirements of PP and PE. Equipped with hot air circulation temperature control system, it operates from room temperature to 250℃ with a temperature control accuracy of ±3℃, ensuring uniform crystallization and molecular orientation during stretching. The system collects real-time stress-strain data and generates stretching curves to quantitatively evaluate film mechanical properties.
●Core Advantages
Compatible with R&D of various polyolefin films. Flexible process parameters allow quick adjustment to match stretching and shaping settings for materials with different formulas, and eliminate defects such as uneven thickness, poor light transmittance and insufficient strength of films. It accelerates formula optimization and process iteration for researchers.
●Application Scenarios
Widely used in the development and process optimization of high-performance BOPP packaging films, functional PE barrier films, transparent coating films and ultra-thin electronic-grade films. Precise stretching control improves the films’ mechanical strength, light transmittance and gas barrier performance, providing reliable process data and technical support for film material R&D in food packaging, electronic packaging, new energy coating and other high-end fields.
