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The Processing and Drying Temperatures of Plastics

All people working in the plastic profession should know that plastic drying while manufacturing is a normal phenomenon. Someone working at a plastic processing factory should clearly know the processing temperature of all plastic material. Let’s dive into our article talking about polymer processing temperature.

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The Processing and Drying Temperature of Plastics

Polymer name Processing Temp. Drying Temp. Hours BD
ABS High 440-510°F 190°F 4 42
ABS Med I 440-510°F 190°F 4 42
Acetal 380-420°F Homo 200 Co 210°F 1.5 40
Acrylic Gen Purpose 420-485°F 180°F 1.5 42
Acrylic High Heat 420-485°F 180°F 2.5 42
Acrylic High Impact 420-485°F 180°F 2.5 42
Nylon 6/6 500-560°F 180°F 4 41
Nylon 6 470-530°F 180°F 4 41
Nylon 6/1 460-510°F 180°F 4 41
Nylon 12 400-450°F 180°F 4 41
Polycarbonate 540-570°F 250°F 3.5 40
PET – Bottle 520-560°F 340°F 5 52
PBT 460-490°F 260°F 2.5 48
PBT 30% G 460-490°F
Polyether 680-720°F 310°F 4 52
Polyethylene 340-440°F
PPO 480-580°F 210°F 2.5 49
Polypropylene 420-520°F 167˚F 2
Polystyrene 400-480°F 176 F
2.5-3 (only if required)
PVC Rigid 320-420
PVC Semi 320-420
PVC Flexi 320-420
SAN 400-500 180 3 40

Engaging Read – Melting Point of Plastics | The Ultimate Guide

The Importance of Processing and Drying 

As we all know, processing material should be done perfectly to produce quality products. Inaccurate processing can lead to the production of faulty and deficient products and can also sometimes cause damage to the mold and also the molding machine.

The importance of drying temperature is also an essential part of the process, as too much moisture can cause several processing problems. Most polymers exhibit some level of polarity and absorb some amount of moisture from the air. The impact moisture will have depends on the polymer and its applications.

Before resin preparation for injection or production in injection molding, the material should be properly dried according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. By not doing that, a manufacturer is risking the quality of the part. Common issues are brittleness, bubbles, sink marks, irregular moldings, and lower mechanical properties.

Adequate drying can also significantly lower the risk of hydrolysis and part failure. Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction in polymers that ruptures the covalent bonds in its chain, reducing its mechanical properties.

However, using a drying system cannot always improve the quality and consistency of the injection molding process. On the shop floor, consistently monitoring the dew point and moisture content of resins is necessary to ensure they’re meeting manufacturers’ recommendations for dryness.

Interesting Read – Mold Temperature in Plastics | A Complete Analysis

Final Thoughts 

That’s all I wanted to say about the processing and drying temperature of plastics. The data published in the article is well researched and comes from reliable sources. However, the data is shared just for information purposes. Consulting your material supplier about the processing and drying temperature of the material you want to work with is the best way to go.

Kindly share your thoughts and question in the comment box.

Have a wonderful day.

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