These synthetic materials have added new manufacturing methods and supplemented metals, wood and even ceramics in construction.

1. Industrial Polymers
PLASTICS-FILMS-FIBRES-ELASTOMERS

3. Plastic, Man-Made Fiber
and Film Industries

4. Plastic Industries

5. Overview
• A plastic is a material that contains a polymerized
organic substance of large molecular weight as an
essential ingredient, is solid in its finished state, and at
some stage in its manufacture or its processing into
finished articles can be shaped by flow.
• The plastic industries have developed and grown then,
since their discovery. Plastics can be used in various
applications because of their toughness, water
resistance, excellent resistance to corrosion, ease of
fabrication, and remarkable color range.

6. History
• The development of commercial phenolic resin in 1909 by
Baekland was the start of the synthetic plastic industry. His
discovery stimulated the search for other plastics.
• The first plastic of industrial significance was cellulose
nitrate (Celluloid) and was discovered about the middle of
the nineteenth century. It was first used in 1869 by Hyatt
who was searching for an ivory substitute.

7. Classification
• Thermosetting plastics are processed by heat
curing to produce an infusible or insoluble
product.
• Thermoplastics are processed by heating to
soften them and cooling to harden them.
• On the basis of derivation, they may also be
grouped as natural resins, cellulose derivatives,
protein products, and synthetic resins.

8. Applications and Uses
Common Resin Types and Applications
Resin Type
Applications
Polyesters
Construction, auto repair putty, laminates, skis,
fishing rods, boats and aircraft component,
coatings, decorative fixtures, bottles
Polyurethanes
Insulation, foam inner liners for clothing, rocket fuel
binders, elastomers, adhesives
Polyethers
Coatings, pump gears, water-meter parts, bearing
surfaces, valves

9. Applications and Uses
Common Resin Types and Applications
Resin Type
Applications
Epoxies
Laminates, adhesives, flooring, linings, propellers,
surface coatings
Polyethylene
Packaging films and sheets, containers, wire cable
insulation, pipe, linings, coatings, molds, toys,
housewares
Polypropylene
Housewares, medical equipment (can be sterilized),
appliances, toys, electronic components, tubings and
pipes, fibers and filaments, coatings

10. Applications and Uses
Common Resin Types and Applications
Resin Type
Applications
Polyvinyl chloride
Pipe and tubing, pipe fittings, adhesives, raincoats
and baby pants, building panels
Acrylics
Decorative and structural panels, massive glazing
domes,
automotive
lens
systems,
illuminated
translucent floor tiles, windows, and canopies
Polystyrene
Insulation, pipe, foams, cooling towers, thin-walled
containers,
appliances,
instruments and panels
rubbers,
automotive

11. Plastics in Everyday Life

12. Standard Symbols

13. Raw Materials
• Monomers: vinyl chloride, ethylene, propylene
and similar simple hydrocarbons
• Chemical intermediates : phenol, formaldehyde,
hexamethylenetetramine, phthalic anhydride,
methyl acrylate and methacrylate
• Other raw materials: plasticizers, fillers, and
reinforcements are also added to alter the
properties of the plastic products.

14. Manufacturing Processes
Bulk
Polymerization
Solution
Polymerization
• is carried out in the liquid or vapor state.
• The monomers and activator are mixed in a reactor
and heated or cooled as needed.
• is used when the exothermic heat is too great to be
controlled in bulk polymerization.
• The monomer and initiator are dissolved in a
nonreactive solvent which serves to slow the
reaction and thus moderate the heat given off.

15. Manufacturing Processes
Suspension
Polymerization
Emulsion
Polymerization
• is the process where the monomer is suspended in
water by agitation.
• stabilizers (i.e. talc, fuller’s earth, and bentonite) are
added to stabilize the suspension and prevent
polymer globules from adhering to each other.
• is similar to suspension polymerization but the monomer
is broken up into droplets that form aggregates called
micelles.
• The monomer is on the interior of the micelles, and the
initiator is in the water. Soap or another emulsifying agent
is used to stabilize the micelles.

16. Polyethylene
• It is the first and the largest in production of
polyolefin plastic.
• High-density polyethylene (HDPE), produced by
low-pressure methods, is used mainly for blowmolded containers and injection-molded articles
and pipe.
• Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), produced by
high-pressure methods, is used mainly for plastic
films.

17. Polyethylene

18. The Process Flow of LDPE Production

19. Individual Process Descriptions
1. Demethanization and Deethanization – The
feed for the process is a mixture of methane,
ethane, and ethylene. Since ethylene is the
monomer to be used ethylene has to be
separated from methane and ethane. High
purity ethylene is used (99.8%).

20. Individual Process Descriptions
2. Compression of Ethylene and Catalyst Ethylene and the catalyst (free-radical yielding
such as oxygen or peroxide) are compressed
to operating pressure (150 MPa).

21. Individual Process Descriptions
3. Solution Polymerization – In a tubular reactor
maintained at 190°C, solution polymerization
occurs to convert ethylene to polyethylene.
About 30% conversion is achieved per pass.

22. Individual Process Descriptions
4. Pressure Separation
– At this stage, the
unconverted ethylene is
removed and recycled.

23. Individual Process Descriptions
5. Extrusion and Pelletizing – The polyethylene
is extruded and pelletized.

24. Individual Process Descriptions
6. Quench Cooling – This hardens the
polyethylene pellets by addition of cold water.

25. Individual Process Descriptions
7. Water Separation and Drying – These involve
the removal of water from the pellets to
obtain the final product.

26. Man-Made Fiber and
Film Industries

27. Classification
According to Spinning Procedures
• Melt spinning involves pumping molten polymer through
capillaries or spinnerets and the polymer streams that
emerge are solidified by quenching in cool air.
• In dry spinning, the polymer is dissolved in a suitable
organic solvent. The solution is forced through spinnerets
and dry filaments are formed upon evaporation of the
solvent.
• Wet spinning involves spinning of a solution of polymer
and coagulation of the fiber in a chemical bath.

28. Overview
• Fibers were originally of natural origin and were
produced from wool, silk, cotton, flax, and similar
materials.
• The first man-made fibers were made by Swan in
1883 when he squirted a solution of cellulose
nitrate in acetic acid through holes.
• Fibers have three important general properties:
length, crimp and denier.

29. Synthetic Fibers and their
Applications
• Polyamides –They are used in home furnishings,
especially carpets.
• Acrylics and Modacrylics – polyacrylonitrile is the
major component of several industrial textile
fibers.
• Spandex – It is used in foundation garments,
hose, swimwear and other elastic products.

30. Vinyls and Vinylidines
• Saran is the copolymer of vinyl chloride and and
vinylidene chloride. It is resistant to mildew, bacterial
and insect attack. Automobile seat covers and home
upholstery are its prime applications.
• Vinyon is the trade name of copolymers of 90% vinyl
chloride and 10% vinyl acetate.
Resistance to acids and alkalies, sunlight, and aging
makes Vinyon useful in heat-sealing fabrics and
clothing.

31. Other Synthetic Fibers
• Polyolefins – They excel in special cases, such as ropes,
laundy nets, carpets, blankets and backing for tuffed
carpets, but are difficult to dye and their melting point
is low.
• Fluorocarbons – It is widely used in pump packings and
shaft bearings.
• Glass Fibers – are used for electrical insulation in
motors and generators, structural reinforcement of
plastics, fire-proof wall coverings and tire cords.

32. Multicomponent fibers
• Multicomponent fibers have been prepared
which possess superior properties to either
component if spun alone. They correspond to
better dyeability, permanent crimp, or silklike
feel, etc.

33. Finishing and Dyeing of Textiles
• Dyeing, bleaching, printing, and special finishing (such as for crease
recovery, dimensional stability, resistance to microbial attack and
ultraviolet light) involve unit operations such as filtering, heating, cooling,
evaporation and mixing.

34. Films
• are made from
different
polymers such as
polyesters,
polyvinyl chloride,
etc.

35. 3 Common Types of Film Processing
• Slit-die process – produces flat sheets by extruding the
molten polymer through a slit-die into a quenching
water bath or onto a chilled roller.
• Blow-extrusion Process – produces tubular film by
using air pressure to force the molten polymer around
a mandrel.
• Calendering – preparation of film is produced by
feeding a plastic mix of polymer, stabilizer, and
plasticizers between two heated roll where it is
squeezed into a film.

36. Nylon 6.6
• Nylon 6.6 was the first all-synthetic fiber made
commercially and opened up the entire field.
• It is the product resulting from the
polymerization
of
adipic
acid
and
hexamethylene diamine.

37. PFD for Nylon Production

38. Raw Materials
• The raw materials for fiber production are just
the same as in plastics production and will
depend on the type of material the fiber is made
up of.
• For the production of nylon yarn, however, the
raw materials cited are adipic acid and
hexamethylene diamine (“hexa”).
• Utilities such as steam and water will also be
used.

39. Individual Process Description
1. Nylon Salt Formation - The reaction between equimolar proportions
of the two raw materials produces nylon salt solution. Acetic acid is
added to the (“hexa”) to to stabilize chain length.

40. Individual Process Description
2. Evaporation – The water produced from the reaction is evaporated in an
evaporator and a jacketed autoclave.
• In the jacketed autoclave, pure nitrogen at 175-345 kPa forces the
material downward. TiO2 dispersion is also added.

41. Individual Process Description
3. Casting Wheel – Each 900-kg batch is extruded as rapidly as possible.
• A ribbon of polymer about 30 cm wide and 6 mm thick flows on the 1.8-m cat
drum.
• Water sprays on the inside cools and harden the underside of the ribbon, the
outer is cooled by air and water.

42. Individual Process
Description
4. Blender and Hopper – The ribbons are cut into
small chips or flakes, blended and emptied to
hoppers.

43. Individual Process Description
• Melt Spinning – A typical spinning unit is composed of a metal vessel
surrounded by a Dowtherm vapor heated jacket which keeps the
temperature of the vessel above melting temperature (263°C).
• As the nylon flake enters the vessel, it strikes a grid, where it melts and
flows through to the melt chamber below.
• The molten polymer passes through the portholes in this chamber to gear
spinning pump.
• They deliver it to a sand filter, which is followed by screens and a spinneret
plate.
• The filaments are solidified by air and passed in a bundle through steamhumidifying chamber.

44. Melt Spinning

45. Individual Process Description
6. Cold Drawing – After lubrication on
a finish roll, the yarn is stretched
or drawn to the desired degree.
7. Bobbin – The nylon yarn passes
through a bobbin system and is
shipped to various manufacturers
for processing.

46. THANQ Reference
Austin, G.T. Shreve’s Chemical Process
Industries (5th Ed). New York: McGrawHill, Inc., 1984.