Polypropylene vs. Polycarbonate: Material Differences and Comparison

2024-03-01 18:39| 来源: 网络整理| 查看: 265

Polypropylene vs. Polycarbonate: Recyclability and Sustainability

Polypropylene (PP) is manufactured from a hydrocarbon source material. No good bio-source alternative supply has been established. It is highly recyclable and, when clean and fully sorted, it is well suited for reuse. Typically, less than 1% of the PP made worldwide is recycled, however.

Polycarbonate (PC) also uses hydrocarbon source materials and considerable energy in manufacturing. It's a highly recyclable material that responds well to shredding and re-melt extrusion, to make second-grade virgin pellets. This requires very rigorous sorting to avoid random impurities, but the automotive sector has made advances in effective recycling and circular use. Very little effective recycling of PCs takes place outside the automotive sector.

Polypropylene vs. Polycarbonate: Cost

Polypropylene granules for molding, extrusion or film/fiber manufacture typically cost around $1.30 per kg. Recycled material is generally 20 to 40% cheaper, depending on grade. Polycarbonate is considerably more expensive, at around $2.80 per kg, although recycled material of near-top grade can cost as little as $1.60 per kg.

Alternative Materials to Polypropylene and Polycarbonate

Alternative material lists for polycarbonate (PC) are highly dependent on the application.

Acrylic offers some advantages, such as better scratch resistance and lower temperature working, but it is considerably less strong. Acrylic offers good clarity, but a lower refractive index, making it suitable for windows but less so for lenses. In this case, urethane materials such as Trivex™ offer advantages.In lower-grade transparent applications, polystyrene (PS) offers an alternative to PC, but it is considerably weaker and very fracture prone. However, for applications such as light guides, PS can serve well.In many cases, ABS is a good alternative to PC, where ultimate strength and flexural resilience are less serious issues.

Polypropylene (PP) also has various alternatives, depending on the application.

For single-use packaging, PP competes with expanded PS, high- and low-density polyethylene (PE), and PVC.In films and heat-shrink wrapping, alternatives are PE and to a lesser extent PVC.In piping and applications requiring chemical resilience, PP competes directly with both HDPE and PVC.In automotive applications, PP is a low-cost alternative to ABS and AES, where cosmetic considerations are outweighed by cost or the need for maximum impact resilience.Summary

This article presented polypropylene and polycarbonate, explained what they are, and the properties and applications of each material. To learn more about polypropylene and polycarbonate, contact a Xometry representative.

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