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A
preferred plastic injection molding and manufacturing
company located in Kulpsville, PA, Aline Components, offers
polystyrene (PS) thermoplastic materials for a variety
of custom plastic part and component applications. By
offering such a broad range of thermoplastic materials,
we are able to extend our customer base from Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland to industries
across the entire United States. Our regional and national
customers use polystyrene for their end product or subsystem
needs.
At Aline Components, our designers and engineers
help you determine if polystyrene plastic is appropriate
for your application requirements and specifications.
We maintain close working relationships with some of the
most noted resin suppliers in the business to supply our
facility with only the best, high performance thermoplastics.
Standard PS is available in various grades such as easy
flow, intermediate flow, and high heat resins. Additionally,
we feature high impact grades (PS-HI) that are modified
with elastomers to improve impact resistance and deformation
before fracture.
What is Polystyrene
Thermoplastic Material?
A member of the styrenic family of thermoplastic resins,
polystyrene exhibits characteristics similar to ABS and,
in its natural state, tends to be relatively brittle with
poor outdoor performance. While often referred to as crystal
PS, polystyrene does not have a crystalline molecular
structure. PS has obtained this name due to the clarity
of the finished product, the low energy input required
for plastic injection molding and manufacturing, and the
ease of processing with low shrinkage. Polystyrene is
an amorphous material that is naturally transparent with
a high surface gloss.
Polystyrene Plastic
Properties
Polystyrene has good mechanical, thermal, electrical,
and optical properties that make it suitable for many
dynamic applications. The mechanical properties of PS
are significantly affected by various processing conditions.
Standard PS is hard, stiff, and dimensionally stable,
but relatively inextensible with high tensile strength
and low elongation at break. When polystyrene parts or
components are used in applications between the glass
transition zone of 80 to 120°C, its strength and hardness
decrease dramatically. PS performs best in applications
between 70 and -70°C. Virtually independent of the
moisture content, polystyrene displays good electrical
resistance. With a visible light transmission of about
90, PS absorbs more UV light and has a refraction index
of 1.59.
Advantages of Polystyrene Plastic Include:
• Naturally transparent with a high surface gloss
• Extremely low moisture absorption
• Good chemical resistance
• Resistance to weathering
• Resistance to stress cracking
Although PS is naturally transparent, it
can be produced in all colors that are either transparent
or muted. As an amorphous thermoplastic, standard polystyrene
has extremely low moisture absorption of 0.05%. It is
resistant to most chemicals such as alkalis, dilute mineral
acids, alcohols, water, and aqueous salt solutions. When
compared to pale or translucent PS resins, darker or more
muted types resist weathering better. Because polystyrene
is inherently susceptible to stress cracking, Aline Components
manufactures injection-molded parts
or components with as few internal stresses as possible
for enhanced resistance.
When you want a thermoplastic material that
is easy to mold and manufacture and that is odor and
taste free, Aline Components offers polystyrene as a
low-cost option.
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