Polypropylene is one of the most popular and underrated plastics used in plastic injection moulding.

With an estimated 50 million tonnes used globally last year, not only is it one of the easiest and cheaper commodity plastics to process, it also offers excellent chemical resistance and a low specific gravity that could reduce the weight of your final component.

Polypropylene is more than just a popular material selection for your average “buckets and bowls” though and here’s why:

POLYPROPYLENE PROS

  • Offers excellent chemical resistance (specific chemicals should be checked)
  • Easily recyclable and reusable (recycle code number 5)
  • Lightweight (some polypropylene grades float, EG: ropes etc) 
  • Good fatigue resistance (living hinges, environmental stress cracking)
  • Food safe (perfect for containers and packaging)
  • Easy to process
  • Cheap

POLYPROPYLENE CONS

  • Susceptible to UV degradation (EG: fading patio furniture)
  • Can look and feel cheap (EG: buckets & bowls)
  • Waxy surface makes it difficult to print and paint
  • Tricky to ultrasonic weld

With three main types; homo-polymer, co-polymer and random-polymer, here at BEC we order in standard master batches for colour, but often recommend additives that can improve or add to polypropylene’s properties, depending on the client’s critical success factors and the requirements of the end product.  From glass fibres for strength to carbon for conductivity and anti-static.

And here’s a bit of trivia …

Did you know …. properly designed living hinges, just like the one on the lid of a box of Tic Tacs has been tested and tested, so it will still work even after being flexed over 1 million times!

Did you also know …. there are only 38 Tic Tacs per box, so the lid will last!

For advice or information about selecting the material for your product, simply email hello@becgroup.com or call 01425 613131 today.