Page 2 - LN
P. 2

Thermoplastics                             Thermosetting Plastics


            1.  Thermoplastics:

              Thermoplastics are soft and flexible.

              They are not elastic like rubber and steel springs.
              They melt on warming and regain their shape on cooling.

              Thermoplastics can be drawn into fine fibres, moulded to any desired shape or stretched or
               spread as sheets.

              Thermoplastics are used for making those articles which do not get too hot during use and

               are flexible.
              Some of the better known thermoplastics are nylon (polyamide), polyesters, polyethylene,

               Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), acrylic, Polyurethane (PU), Polypropylene (PP), Poly-tetra-fluoro-
               ethylene (PTEE) etc.

              The polymers in thermoplastics are arranged in a linear form, where the long polymer

               chains  are  not  cross-linked  to  each  other.  Therefore,  on  heating,  the  individual  polymer
               chains  slide  over  one  another  and  thermoplastic  material  becomes  soft  and  ultimately





























                                                                                                                2
   1   2   3   4