What is Liquid Plastic? | Liquid Plastic Vs. Resin | An In-Depth Guide

What is Liquid Plastic?

Liquid plastic, aka plastisol, is a principal material utilized to make soft lures. It is a thin white liquid that transforms into a soft, clear plastic when heated to approximately 177 °C without adding any catalysts. It is effortless to use. All one needs to do is heat it to a point it becomes clear and sticky or syrupy in nature.

The stiffness of the final product can be changed conveniently by adding a plastic hardener or softener.

Unused plastic can be remelted and uses multiple times. However, excessive heating will cause discoloration.

The Differences Between Liquid Plastic and Resin – 

Natural resin and liquid plastic (plastisol) are very different from each other. The “resin” is a sticky and slimy substance that plants secrete. It’s a thick natural liquid used by plants for protection and healing.

Natural resin’s main attribute is that it will harden and transform into a pleasing and transparent substance. It is tough to obtain, making it very expensive and mostly used in furniture making.

Talking about Liquid plastic, It’s a synthetic version of natural resin mostly used in jewelry making. The term “resin” has a different meaning here; it’s an umbrella term for all the synthetically made viscous liquids that harden into a plastic surface.

The more popular term for it is “epoxy resin,” and they’re available in many different shapes and sizes. One such rein is also called thermosetting resin, and it imitates natural resins to the extent that it looks and feels like it both in terms of solidity and liquidity.

Thermosetting resins are one of the largest liquid plastic groups available out there: nylon and polyurethanes are the prime examples.

Below is a table comparing the factors between the both:

Engaging Read – Melting Point of Plastics | The Ultimate Guide

Why Using Liquid Plastic is a Smart Choice?

It has numerous applications in furniture, consumer goods, electronic casings, floor coatings, footwear, wires & cables, etc. Additionally, they’re available in abundance, which makes the process of sourcing, producing, and supplying goods to the market faster and leaner.

However, liquid plastic’s most attractive property is its capability of resin casting. In this process, plastisol will be blended with a during fluid and then filled in a mold. A chemical reaction will occur, making the blended resin harder, gaining the shape of the mold in which it was poured.

Once fully solidified, the casting is removed from the mold. Depending on the caster’s choice, many modifications will or will not be made, like coloring, sanding, and combining other molded components, etc.

The most common applications are toys, industrial applications, and dental castings.

On the contrary, the natural resin is tough to find (so, sourcing it for commercial purposes seems like a pipe dream). Those factors combined make plastisol a million times better choice than natural resin.

FAQs –

1.  Can you pour the resin into plastic?

Ans. Yes, the resin can be poured into plastic, however, it won’t stick to certain plastic materials like plexiglass, silicone, and acetate.

2. What is liquid resin?

Ans. Liquid resin is a synthetic fluid that transforms into a durable solid when mixed with a hardening agent. The most popular liquid resins are polyester, silicone, polyurethane.

3. Does resin break easily?

Ans. The resin’s solid pieces are improbable to break, but brittleness can vary from piece to piece. Thin pieces are more likely to break with a smack or impact.

4. What is liquid plastic roofing?

Ans. It’s a roofing system developed specifically with liquid plastic. It is strengthened with a fiberglass membrane which can offer long life expectancy (life expectancy can be affected by the surroundings) on green, flat, or curved roofs.

5. Does epoxy eat through plastic?

Ans. Normally, epoxy doesn’t cling to bond with other plastics due to a lack of surface texture for mechanical bonds. However, with good surface preparation, excellent binding between plastics and epoxy is achievable.

6. What is liquid plastic used for?

Ans. Liquid plastic is mostly used for Resin Casting. It is a plastic casting process where mold will be filled with a liquid synthetic resin, which then hardens. It is predominantly used by start-ups and smaller companies for small-scale productions such as prototypes and dentistry.

Suggested Read – 

• What is 3D Printing? | Types of 3D Printing | Applications of 3D Printing | Advantages & Disadvantages
• What is FDM Printing? | The Ultimate Guide
• Top 10 Plastic Injection Molding Companies In United States
• Food Grade Plastic: The Best Plastics for Food Applications
• Plastic Thermoforming Mold: Information about Male Vs. Female Molds
• Mold Temperature in Plastics | A Complete Analysis
• Polycarbonate Vs. Acrylic | What are the Differences and Similarities?
• Top 10 Injection Molding Defects (And How To Prevent Them)

The Takeaway – 

I want to say that liquid plastic is an intelligent choice for your production needs. It has a lot of potential when it comes to applications and the product’s integrity.

I would appreciate it if you share your thoughts about the article in the comment box.

Have a fantastic day 🙂