PET: Poly(ethylene terephthalate)
PETG: Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETG)
Compared with PET, the biggest feature of PETG is that PETG conforms to the concept of environmental protection and food FDA certification. PETG is currently more and more concerned about related products at home and abroad.
PET plastic sheet material
The polycondensate of PET polyethylene terephthalate is mainly used in food packaging film, plastic sheet and textile fiber and other applications. Now, its use as a packaging material is increasing, not only in soda drink bottles, but also in amorphous PET (APET) and crystalline PET (CPET) cans and dishes. Engineering-grade PET and copolyesters, as new polymer products, have been used in engineering and specialty packaging materials, respectively.
The successful application of PET in soda beverage packaging materials is due to its toughness and transparency, orientation ability, excellent economic value and the development of high-speed bottle processing technology. PET beverage cans are lightweight, shatter-resistant, reusable, and airtight. A full 2-liter PET beverage bottle is 24% lighter than a comparable glass bottle, and an empty bottle weighs 1/10 the same size. It saves labor, energy and costs in all links from the producer to the consumer.
PET is produced from terephthalic acid (TPA) obtained from the oxidation of paraxylene. The terephthalic acid is purified or reacted with methanol to form dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), or further oxidized to form pure terephthalic acid (PTA). Another basic raw material for PET is ethane, which is converted into ethylene glycol (EG) by reaction. PET is a polycondensate formed by the polymerization of DMT (or PTA) and EG in a continuous molten state. Oriented crystalline PET has excellent strength, toughness and transparency, and is resistant to weak acids and bases and many solvents.
Stretch blow molding grade PET plastic sheets are available in solid, green and yellowish PET. PET material combines the advantages of excellent melt strength and slow crystallization rate, and can be easily processed on suitable extrusion blow molding equipment. Various reinforcing, flame retardant and other specialty polymers are continually being introduced or improved to meet new applications.
PET is mainly used in soda soft drink packaging. PET has nearly 100% of the 2-liter packaging non-recyclable container market, and 1.5-liter, 1-liter, 0.5-liter and even smaller PET bottles have also been widely recognized.
PET is used in the packaging of food, alcohol and detergents. Packaged foods include mustard, gum products, peanut butter, condiments, cooking oils, cocktails and fruit juice concentrates. New colors, especially Weber-colored PET, are very popular in the packaging of medicines, vitamins and cleaning agents.
PET film is usually biaxially oriented and is used as packaging for X-ray and other photographic films, packaging bags for meat and cheese, and packaging boxes for tapes, electrical insulation, etc. PET is also used as an industrial tape material. Amorphous, unoriented PET films and PET plastic sheets began to expand into shaped containers, trays, foamed articles and beverage cups.
PETG plastic sheet material
PETG copolyester is another example of many copolyesters. Unlike PCTA, which is modified with acid, PETG is a diol-modified polymer formed by combining CHDM diol with TPA (terephthalic acid) and ethylene glycol. PETG copolymers can be molded or extruded and generally retain amorphous, transparent and virtually colorless properties, even in very large cross-sections.
PETG has high stiffness, hardness, and good toughness, even at low temperatures. The combination of clarity, toughness and melt strength allows it to be used for injection molding, blow molding and extruding profiles, tubes, films and sheets. PETG is available unmodified or with various additives, including mold release agents, color masterbatches and impact modifiers for injection molding.
PETG should be dried at 120-160F for about 4-6 hours before molding or extrusion. The melt temperature ranged from 420F to 510F in both processes. Processing equipment should be held at higher temperatures for as little time as possible to prevent excessive degradation. Injection molding should be carried out on an injection machine, requiring 50% to 80% of its capacity per shot.
PETG can be extruded and blown at the melt temperature between 400-450F to make transparent bottles for shampoo, liquid detergent, sanitary products, mineral oil and food packaging. This material is FDA compliant for food contact.
Extrusion can produce a wide range of profiles, as well as tubing, film and sheet for packaging, including packaging for medical devices. PETG and PCTA can be sterilized with ethylene oxide and gamma rays.
When used for injection molding, PETG is usually processed in the melt temperature range of 450-510F, and the mold temperature is about 70-130F. Current applications include instrument covers, machine guards, cosmetic containers, lever device pointers, display components and toys.
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