Thermoplastic
Materials
Polystyrene Thermoplastic Material at Aline Components Custom Plastic Injection Molding and Manufacturing
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.
- 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.