4 Advice to Choose a thermoplastic compounds

Sep. 08, 2025

A Guide to Common Thermoplastics - SyBridge Technologies

Originally published on fastradius.com on August 4,

Goto SUNUA to know more.

Thermoplastics are plastic polymers with low melting points that become molten when heated, solid when cooled, and can be remolded or remelted after the curing process. They’re strong, flexible, and easy to use since post-processing is often minimal or not required.

What’s more, thermoplastics are considered some of the most eco-friendly and non-toxic materials on the market today. They’re ideal for injection molding, cost-effectively manufacturing parts with complex geometries, and producing repeatable parts in large volumes. Thermoplastics can be used to create a wide range of common household products, from mechanical parts to children’s toys.

Engineers and product designers should consider using thermoplastics for injection-molded parts, but there are many varieties to choose from. Here’s a guide to the most common thermoplastics, plus tips for product teams on choosing the best type for their next project.

A breakdown of common thermoplastics

Thermoplastics can be broken down into two broad categories — amorphous resins and semicrystalline resins. Amorphous resins are typically brittle, but they’re very precise and have good dimensional stability. These thermoplastics are commonly found in plastic utensils, foam cups, and plastic plates.

Semicrystalline resins are more flexible and chemical resistant than amorphous resins, but can be challenging to work with. However, this material works well for applications involving continuous wear, structural loads, and friction.

Within the categories of amorphous and semi-crystalline resins, thermoplastics can be broken down further by their performance grade. Thermoplastics can be classified as high-performance or specialty-, engineering-, or commodity-grade. Performance grade increases in tandem with the price. Here are six examples of the most common thermoplastics, along with their classifications.

Polyetherimide (PEI)

PEI is a high-performance amorphous resin. It’s strong, chemical-resistant, and able to withstand temperatures upwards of 217°C. Amorphous resins tend to crack when they come into contact with certain fats and oils, but PEI stands out because it’s tough enough to resist such cracking. PEI is used to make circuit boards, eyeglasses, and sterilization equipment, but it’s most frequently used in aerospace applications.

Polycarbonate (PC)

PC is an engineering-grade amorphous resin. This naturally transparent material is heat-resistant, flexible, and a good electrical insulator. It’s also stronger and more rigid than nylon. Common applications include electrical components, lenses, medical devices, and single-use food containers or water bottles. Polycarbonate isn’t considered food-safe for reusable containers.

Polystyrene (PS)

Polystyrene is a commodity-grade amorphous resin. It’s transparent like polycarbonate, but very low in strength and heat resistance. As such, its use-cases are limited to simple products like packing peanuts, foam plates, and cutlery.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)

PEEK is a high-performance semi crystalline resin, and one of the toughest thermoplastics on the market — it is resistant to high temperatures, chemicals, corrosion, and biodegradation. PEEK’s mechanical properties make it an ideal choice for bearings, medical implants, piston parts, and a wide variety of applications in the aerospace, automotive, and chemical industries.

Nylon

Nylon is an engineering-grade semi crystalline resin. It is highly stable, versatile, and resistant to many external factors like abrasion and impact. Nylon also promises low shrinkage and warp. Its applications are wide-ranging. It is silky enough to be used in women’s stockings and other apparel, resistant enough to be used in industrial bearings, and safe enough to be used in medical devices.

Polypropylene (PP)

Polypropylene, a thermoplastic beloved by engineers, is a commodity-grade semi crystalline resin. PP is strong and highly resistant to stress, impact, corrosion, and fatigue while remaining extremely flexible. Engineers enjoy working with PP because it offers them many (if not all) of the chemical and mechanical properties they require for their respective use-cases at a very low price point. Common applications include household goods, automotive parts, reusable containers, and even carpeting.

Key considerations for choosing a thermoplastic

These six common thermoplastics are only the beginning. How can engineers and product designers possibly sift through all of the available options and make the right choice?

The best way to choose a thermoplastic is to start by considering the part’s engineering requirements. The objective is to pick a material that will offer all of the properties the part needs and to do so as cost-effectively as possible. As such, it’s critical to begin by outlining key engineering requirements, which will serve as useful guideposts in evaluating material options. With these guidelines in mind, seek the best compromise between desired mechanical properties and cost.

Many manufacturers use material selection charts to simplify the evaluation process. By pinpointing the materials that lie in the crossover point between two desired variables — say, density and cost — product teams narrow the pool of viable candidates and gain clarity around which materials are likely to prove most effective. Highlight the important engineering requirements that matter, nail down a price range, and select a material that is most cost-effective for the performance needed.

The company is the world’s best thermoplastic compounds supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Optimize the product lifecycle with expert advisory

Handy material selection charts like those pictured above are helpful for whittling down a large pool of materials to just a few, but there’s no substitute for expert advice. To select the best material for a given part, product teams would do well to consult an expert manufacturing partner like Sybridge Technologies.

5 Benefits of Choosing Thermoplastic Components for Can't-Fail ...

Thermoplastics are a family of polymers with numerous industrial applications. Known for durability, lightness, and relatively low production costs, thermoplastics can be melted and recast almost indefinitely. Once heated, they are molded into a wide variety of shapes, which then harden upon cooling.

High-performance engineered thermoplastics – versus those used for consumer goods – cover a wide range of markets, from aerospace and medical implants to the energy sector and electronics industries. If you’re curious about the most common engineered thermoplastics for industries, here’s a list of some of the most frequently used types.

As you consider the best material for your industrial-use project, you may be weighing the pros and cons of a number of material types. Along with thermoplastics, these might include other polymer classes like elastomers or thermosets, or non-polymer materials like metallics, ceramics, glasses, or hybrid composites.

Before you make a selection, it’s important to first look at the product’s ultimate functionality requirements, which can then drive material selection and product design engineering.

In essence, when vital functions are on the line – say, pressurized gas pipelines or the braking components on a jumbo jet – it’s critical to have parts and components that you can rely on to perform. In many cases, thermoplastics are the material of choice in these types of can’t-fail environments.

Here are five key differentiators of thermoplastics to help you decide if this class of polymer is right for your next project.

5 Benefits of Thermoplastic Components

Chemical resistance — Thermoplastics are often the material of choice for seals and valves, as properly chosen materials are slow to degrade or lose performance when in contact with gases or fluids. This is a critically important differentiator in can’t-fail applications or extreme environments, such as oil and gas pipelines, medical implants, or aerospace. Because the gas or fluid is slow to (or simply can’t) permeate the polymer material, components won’t rust, corrode, or degrade like other materials.
Strength-to-weight ratio — Particularly for aerospace and automotive applications, in which weight is an important consideration, thermoplastics are the preferred choice over metal parts because they are both strong and lightweight.
Durability — Because of their combination of abrasion, temperature, pressure, and fatigue resistance, engineered thermoplastics are unparalleled in durability.
Cost — Thermoplastics are easier to manufacture relative to metals, and net-shape or near to net-shape articles can be produced more readily at lower total cost. Thermoplastics are easily melted at moderate temperatures and more readily formed into a finished or semi-finished part, avoiding or reducing the complexity of secondary operations, thus reducing production costs.
Sustainability — Plastics get a bad rap, but responsible manufacturers are working hard to make them more sustainable. At CDI, we are always looking at ways to recycle and reuse our thermoplastic scrap stream, with a goal of keeping plastic waste out of landfills and out of the environment. We also operate on 100% renewable energy at our Houston facility.

Thermoplastics: Critical Components That Reduce Risk

Thermoplastics are so valuable because they can reliably perform in critical environments.

Consider engineered thermoplastic seals that segregate different gas and fluid environments, often isolating high pressure from low pressure, or substance A from substance B. A well-chosen and well-designed thermoplastic component isn’t affected negatively in contact with a given chemical or chemical mixture, and the parts won’t degrade, deform, or change shape.

And these benefits have huge implications for human safety and environmental protection. If the thermoplastic components of the braking system of a Boeing 777 fail prematurely, or gas and oil pipelines leak, the consequences can be catastrophic.

While alternatives to thermoplastics do exist, they will have different design, cost, durability, and weight considerations, which often render them a less optimal choice.

How to Determine the Right Material for the Application

From durability to chemical resistance, thermoplastics have a lot going for them. But that doesn’t mean they’re the ideal material choice in all circumstances. Elastomers can be better in terms of dynamic fatigue and resilience, may be easier to process into some desired shapes, and may therefore be less expensive to produce.

Material selection is always about finding the right balance among many different properties, and avoiding or minimizing compromise in finding the right material for the job.

That’s why partnering with a manufacturer with in-house material science expertise is so critical for OEMs. You can think you have the best material in the world, but issues will arise if the material doesn’t meet all requirements across manufacturing, installation and, most importantly, the ultimate service environment.

Good material scientists and design engineers can help you determine the right material properties you need based on where, for how long, and in what conditions your part needs to perform.

Have questions about choosing the right material for your next project? Get expert advice to help select the material exactly suited to the job.

Want more information on pv cable compounds? Feel free to contact us.

Comments