Even as our world is trying to cut down on the amount of plastic being used, the simple fact is that plastic is everywhere you look. It’s in your clothes, in your drinking bottles, it’s in the everyday items you purchase at your local store.
When it comes to manufacturing, plastic is one of the most widely used materials and there are seven different types:
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
- Polypropylene (PP)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- Polystyrene or Styrofoam (PS)
- Miscellaneous plastics such as styrene, nylon and fiberglass among others)
In plastics and manufacturing, polyethylene (PE) is the most commonly used plastic and sees an annual production of around 80 million tons. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most commonly used thermoplastic polymer and chances are you’ve seen it everywhere. Why? Because you know it by a different name: polyester.
For industrial plastic distributors, polymer distributors and raw plastic distributors alike, PET comes in different forms and with different names depending on its use. Polyester is the name PET is given when it’s used in textiles. In packaging for food and beverages, it’s usually known as PET resin.
Since it is resistant to water, shatterproof and very strong, polyester is widely distributed by industrial plastic distributors. For many industrial plastic distributors, it’s very easy to find and is therefore easy to distribute.
Polyester has a long history in manufacturing. It was first used by chemists in the 40s and is one of the world’s most sustainable materials. Global demand for it exceeds around 50 million metric tons and for many industrial plastic distributors, that means there’s plenty of money to be made.
Why is polyester so coveted:
- Impressive strength despite being lightweight
- It’s shatterproof
- It is naturally transparent
- Its resistance to water and food (that’s why you often see it in food packaging)
So why is it so beloved by manufacturers and raw plastic distributors alike? Its availability makes it easy to distribute, but its strength adds so much to whatever it’s added to. Take clothing for example; adding polyester makes clothes resistant to tearing and wrinkling. As previously mentioned, it’s often a mainstay in food packaging because it’s resistant to water.
What else can PET be used for? An industrial plastic distributor to manufacturers for use in injection molding, 3-D printing and CNC machining among other things. Since PET is strong yet malleable, it can be very easily changed depending on a company’s needs.
Whatever your manufacturing needs may be, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) offers plenty of advantages: transparency, water-resistance, strength, lightness and being shatterproof. For these reasons as well as its versatility, for many manufacturers it can be thought off as the perfect material in the manufacturing business.