| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| ABS | Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. |
| ABS | Anti-lock Braking System. |
| ACS | Acrylonitrile cholorinate polyethylene and styrene. |
| Additive | A substance compounded into a resin to enhance or improve certain characteristics. |
| Antioxidants & Antiozonants | These additives are are used to prevent the negative effects of oxygen and ozone on the resin materials. |
| Antistats | The use of these additives will eliminate or lessen static electricity. |
| API | Addition-reaction polyimides. |
| ASA | Acrylic-styrene-acrylonitrile. |
| Binder | A resin or other material used to hold particles together. The binder is the continuous phase in a reinforced plastic which provides mechanical strength or ensures uniform consistency, solidification, or adhesion to a surface coating. Typical binder materials include resin, glue, gum and casein. |
| Biocides & Fungicides | These additives act as pesticides and are used to inhibit the growth of fungus and other pests. |
| Blow Molding | Method of fabrication in which a warm plastic parison (hollow tube), is placed between the two halves of a mold cavity and forced to assume the shape of that mold cavity by use of air pressure. |
| BMC | Bulk-molding compounds. |
| Brighteners | Are used to add smoother or brighter coatings. |
| Brittle Temperature | A measure for judging the relative merits of materials for low temperature flexing or impact – i.e., the temperature at which materials rupture by impact under specified conditions. |
| B-stage | This describes an intermediate stage of reaction where the material will soften when heated and swells in the presence of certain liquids, but may not completely fuse or dissolve. The resin is usually supplied in this uncured state. |
| Bulk Density | ASTM D1182-54 test method describes this measurement of mass per unit volume of a molding powder (in large volume determinations). |
| Bulk-molding compounds (BMC) | Bulk-molding compounds are used as a premix in composite manufacturing. A BMC consists of a mixture of resin, reinforcements, inert fillers, and other additives which form a puttylike preformed shape, rope or sheet. |
| CA | Cellulose acetate. |
| CAB | Cellulose acetate-butyrate. |
| CAP | Cellulose acetate-proplonate. |
| Cast Film | A cast film is made by depositing a layer of plastic onto a surface then solidifying and removing the film from that surface. The plastic layer can be in molten form, in a solution, or in a dispersion. |
| Casting | The process of forming solid or hollow articles from fluid plastic mixtures or resins by pouring or injecting the fluid into a mold or against a substrate with little or no pressure, followed by solidification and removal of the formed object. |
| Co-extrusion | The process of combining two or more layers of extrudate to produce a multiple layer product in a single step. |
| Cold Flow or Creep | A time-dependent strain of solids resulting from stress. |
| Colorants & Pigments | Are additive used to change the color of the plastic. They can be a powder or a resin/color premix. The industry usually uses the RAL code system to define the colour (see RAL table file in the CD) |
| Composite | A structural material consisting of a combination of materials. Typically, one of the materials is a strengthening agent, the other being a thermoset or thermoplastic resin. |
| Compound | These are chemical combinations of materials which include all all the materials necessary for the finished product. They include BMC (Bulk Molding Compounds), SMC (Sheet Molding Compounds) and TMC (Thick Molding Compounds). |
| Compounding | The process required to mix the polymer with all of the materials that are necessary to provide the end user with a finished product. |
| Compressive Strength | The ability of a material to resist a force that tends to crush it. |
| Continuous Service Temperature | The highest temperature at which a material can perform reliably in long term application – long term being, however, inconsistently defined by the manufacturers. |
| Copolymer | The chemical reaction of two different monomers with each other, result in a compound. |
| Coupling Agents | A material that is used to form a chemical bridge between the resin and glass fiber or mineral fiber. By acting as an interface, bonding is enhanced. |
| CPE | Chlorinated polyethylene. |
| CPI | Condensation-reaction polyimides. |
| CPVC | Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride. |
| Crazing | Small cracks near or on the surface of plastic materials. |
| C-stage | This term describes the final stage of the reaction where the material s relatively insoluble and infusible. |
| CTFE | Polymonochlorotrifluoroethylene. |
| Cure | The process of changing properties of polymer into a more stable and usable condition. This is accomplished by the use of heat, radiation, or reaction with chemical additives. |
| Cure Cycle | The time periods at defined conditions to which a reacting thermosetting material is processed to reach a desired property level. |
| DAP | Diallyl phthalate. |
| Deflection Temperature (1) | The measurement of temperature at which a specimen deflects 0.01 inches under a load of 66 lb/in2. |
| Deflection Temperature (2) | The measure of temperature at which a specimen deflects 0.01 inches under a load of 264 lb/in2. |
| Density | The equivalent property to specific gravity; measured by displacement. |
| Dielectric Constant | The ratio of the capacity of a condenser made with a particular dielectric material to the capacity of the same condenser with air as the dielectric. Measured at a frequency of 106 cycles per second. |
| Dielectric Strength | The voltage that an insulating material can withstand before dielectric breakdown occurs. |
| Dissipation Factor | The ratio of the power dissipated in watts in an insulating material to the product of the effective voltage and the current. Measured at a frequency of 106 cycles per second. |
| EC | Ethyl cellulose. |
| ECTFE | Ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene. |
| Effect of Strong Acids | A descriptive notation to indicate the material’s performance. |
| Elongation, Break | The increase in distance between two gauge marks at the break point divided by the original distance between the marks. A zero value in the field indicates that it measured less than one. |
| Elongation, Yield | The increase in distance between two gauge marks at a yield point divided by the original distance between the marks. A zero value indicates that it measured less than one. |
| EMDS | List of approved materials and part numbers for the automotive industry. For more information, please contact your QA manager. |
| EMA | Ethylene-methyl acrylate. |
| EP | Ethylene propylene. |
| ESCR | Environmental stress crack resistance. |
| ETFE | Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene. |
| EVA | Ethylene-vinyl acetate. |
| Extrusion | The process of forming a continuous piece of plastic by forcing it through a shaping orifice with or without the presence of heat. |
| Fabricating | The manufacture of plastic products by appropriate operations. This includes plastics formed into molded parts, rods, tubes, sheeting, extrusion and other forms by methods including punching, cutting, drilling, tapping, fastening or by using other mechanical devices. |
| FDA | Food & Drug Administration. |
| FEP | Fluorinated ethylene-propylene. |
| Fillers & Reinforcements | Fillers are used to make a resin less costly. They can be inert or they can alter some properties of the plastic. Reinforcements are substances used to strengthen or give dimensional stability to a material. |
| Film | Films are flat materials that are extremely thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Typically, a film has a maximum nominal thickness of 0.25 millimeters. |
| Flame, Fire & Smoke Retardants | Are added to the resin to retard these undesirable effects. Most of the parts we produce at Richco are made from a flame retardent material (flame retardency level according to the US standard UL94) |
| Flash Gate | Wide gate extending from a runner which runs parallel to an edge of a molded part along the parting line of a mold. |
| Flexural Modulus | The ratio, within the elastic limit, of the applied stress on a test specimen in flexure to the corresponding strain in the outermost fibers of the specimen. |
| Flexural Strength, Yield | The measure of resistance of the material to fracture during bending. |
| Flow Line | A mark on a molded piece made by the meeting of two flow fronts during molding. Also called weld line. |
| Forming | The process whereby the current shape of a plastic is transformed to another desired configuration. |
| FR | Fiber reinforced. |
| FRP | Fiber-reinforced plastics. |
| Hardener | A substance or mixture of substance added to a material to increase or control the curing reaction by taking part in it. |
| Hardness | The resistance of a material to compression, indentation and scratching. There are several scales and units used. |
| Haze | The cloudy or turbid appearance of an otherwise transparent material caused by light scattered from within the specimen or from its surfaces. |
| HDPE | High-density polyethylene. |
| Heat Stabilizers | These additives increase the ability of the material to withstand the negative effects of heat exposure. They are used to increase the overall service temperature of the material. |
| HIP | High-impact polystyrene. |
| HM | High-modulus. |
| HMC | High-strength molding compound. |
| HME | High-vinyl modified epoxy. |
| HMW | High molecular weight. |
| Impact Modifiers | Are additive used to enhance the material’s ability to withstand the force of impact. |
| Injection Blow Molding | Blow molding process by which the plastic parison to be blown is formed by injection molding (eg process for making plastic bags) |
| Injection Molding | The process of forming a material by forcing it from a heated cylinder, under pressure, through a sprue into a cavity of a confined mold. Our core business with the extrusion!!!! |
| Injection Molding Pressure | The pressure applied to the cross-sectional area of the molding cylinder. |
| IPN | Interpenetrating polymer network. |
| Izod, Notched, LT | The energy required to break specimens in which there is a v-notch to create an initial stress point but measured at low temperature (minus 40°C). |
| Izod, Notched, RT | The energy required to break specimens in which there is a v-notched to create an initial stress point. |
| Laminar Flow | Laminar flow of thermoplastic resins in a mold is accomplished by solidification of the layer in contact with the mold surface that acts as an insulating shell through which molten material flows to fill the remainder of the cavity. |
| LCP | Liquid crystal polymer. |
| LDPE | Low density polyethylene. |
| Light, UV Stabilizers & Absorbers | These additives increase the ability of the material to withstand the negative effects of light and UV exposure, thus increasing the service life of the material. The UV stability is often achieved on Richco parts by adding carbon black (eg cable ties UV resistant). Please note that a black part is not neccessarly a UV resistant part. Please check the relevant RMS specification sheet. |
| LIM | Liquid injection molding. |
| Linear Mold Shrinkage | The difference between the size of the part and the size of the mold cavity. Values given are often the average of a range. |
| Linear Thermal Expansion | The fractional change in length of a material for a unit change in temperature. |
| Liquid Injection | The process that involves an integrated system for proportioning, mixing, and dispensing two component liquid resin formulations and directly injecting the resultant mix into a mold which is clamped under pressure. |
| LLDPE | Linear low-density polyethylene. |
| LMC | Low-pressure molding compound. |
| LMW | Low molecular weight. |
| Lubricant | Internal lubricants, without affecting the fusion properties of a compound, promotes resin flow. External lubricants promote release from metals which aids in the smooth flow of melt over die surfaces. |
| MA | Maleic anhydride. |
| Machine Shot Capacity | Refers to the maximum weight of thermoplastic resin which can be displaced or injected by the injection ram in a single stroke. |
| Masterbatch | A concentration of a substance (an additive, pigment, filler, etc.) in a base polymer. |
| MBS | Methacrylate-butadiene-styrene. |
| MDPE | Medium-density polyethylene. |
| Melt Flow | Rate of extrusion of molten resin through a die of specified length and diameter. The conditions of the test (e.g. temperature and load) should be given. Frequently, however, the manufacturer’s data lists only the value, not the condition as well. |
| MMA | Methyl methacrylate monomer. |
| Mold Release Agent | A lubricant used to coat a mold cavity to prevent adhesion of the molded piece when removed. |
| Moldability | The characteristics of being easy to mold without rupturing or developing flaws due o movement of the polymer during gelation. |
| MW | Molecular weight. |
| NVH | Noise, vibration, harshness. |
| PA | Polyamide (nylon). |
| PAI | Polyamide-imide. |
| PAN | Polyacrylonitrile. |
| PB | Polybutylene. |
| PBT | Polybutylene terephthalate. |
| PBTP | Polybutylene terephthalate. |
| PC | Polycarbonate. |
| PCTFE | Polychlorotrifluoroethylene. |
| PE | Polyethylene. |
| PEC | Polyphenylene ether copolymer. |
| PEEK | Polyetherether ketone. |
| PEH | Polyphenylene ether homopolymer. |
| PEI | Polyetherimide. |
| PEO | Polyethylene oxide. |
| PES | Polyethersulphone. |
| PET | Polyethylene terephthalate. |
| PETP | Polyethylene terephthalate. |
| PF | Phenyl-formaldehyde. |
| PFA | Perfluoroalkoxy (resin). |
| PI | Polyimide. |
| PIB | Polyisobutylene. |
| PIE | Polyisobutylene. |
| Plasticizer | Are usually low-melting solids or high-boiling organic liquids which, when added to hard plastics, impart flexibility. They have varying degrees of softening action and solvating ability resulting from a reduction of intermolecular forces in the polymer. |
| Plastisol | Mixtures of plasticizers and resins which can be converted to continuous films by applying heat. |
| PMMA | Polymethyl methacryiate. |
| PMS | Paramethyldtyrene. |
| PMT | Polymethylpentene. |
| Polymer | High-molecular-weight organic compound, natural or synthetic, whose structure can be represented by a repeated small unit, the mer: e.g. polyethylene, rubber, cellulose. If two or more monomers are involved, a copolymer is obtained. |
| PP | Polypropylene. |
| PPO | Polyphenylene oxide. |
| PPS | Polyphenylene sulfide. |
| Processing | An average value is given rather than the temperature range often specified by the manufacturer. |
| Processing Aids | Some processing aids include thixotropic agents, flatting agents, and blocking and anticaking agents. |
| Processing Methods | The kind of processing (extruding, molding, casting, etc.) techniques recommended by the manufacturer. |
| PS | Polystyrene. |
| PTFE | Polytetrafluoroethylene. |
| PU | Polyurethane. |
| PVC | Polyvinyl chloride. |
| PVDF | Polyvinylidene fluoride. |
| PVF | Polyvinyl fluoride. |
| Reaction Injection | A process that involves the high pressure impingement mixing of two or more reactive liquid components and injecting into a closed mold at low pressure. |
| Refractive Index, Sodium D | The ratio of the velocity and light in a vacuum to its velocity in the material. |
| Regrind | Waste material from injection molding, blow molding and extrusion operations, which has been reclaimed by shredding or granulating. RMS-01 and RMS-19 are typically materials that we do use with a certain proportion of reground material. |
| Reinforced Plastics | A plastic material with enhanced mechanical properties due to the addition of high strength fillers imbedded in the composition. |
| Resin | A pseudosolid or solid organic material often of high molecular weight. It has a tendency to flow when subjected to stress, usually has a softening or melting range, and usually fractured conchoidally. |
| RH | Relative humidity. |
| RH | Rockwell hardness. |
| RIM | Reaction injection molding. |
| RP | Reinforced plastics. |
| RTM | Resin-tansfer molding. |
| SAN | Styrene-acrylonitrile. |
| Sheet | Sheets are made of continuous phase plastic in a form in which the thickness is very small in proportion to length and width. The thickness is greater than 0.25 millimeters. |
| Slip Agent | An additive that provides surface lubrication during and immediately following processing of the plastic material. It acts as an internal lubricant which will eventually migrate to the surfaces. |
| SMA | Styrene maleic anhydride. |
| SMC | Sheet molding compound. |
| Spruce | The main feed channel that connects the mold-filling orifice with the runners leading to each gravity gate. Spruce is also the piece of plastic material formed in this channel. |
| Spruce Gate | The passage through which molten resin flows from the nozzle to the mold cavity. |
| Stabilizers & Surface | Some additives included in this category include antioxidants and antizonants, antistats, biocides and fungicides, heat stabilizers, light, and UV stabilizers and absorbers. |
| Stress Crack | A crack, either external or internal, in a plastic caused by tensile stresses less than its short-time mechanical strength. |
| Surface Resistivity | The ratio of the potential gradient parallel to the current along its surface to the current per unit width of the surface. |
| Surfactants | The use of these chemicals allows the formation of an emulsion or intimate mixture of otherwise incompatible substances by modifying the surface properties and influencing the wetting and flowing properties of liquids. |
| Tackifiers | Additives used to enhance the adhesiveness or bonding ability of a material. |
| Tensile Modulus | (Also called modulus of elasticity). The ratio of nominal stress to the corresponding strain below the proportional limit of a material. |
| Tensile Strength, Break | The maximum stress that a material can withstand without breaking when subjected to a stretching load. |
| Tensile Strength, Yield | The maximum stress that a material can withstand without yielding when subjected to a stretching load. |
| TFE | Polytetra fluoroethylene. |
| Thermal Conductivity | The rate of heat flow under steady state conditions through unit area per unit temperature gradient in a direction perpendicular to an isothermal surface. |
| Thermoplastics | Resins capable of undergoing a chemical reaction leading to a relative infusible and insolvable state. |
| Thermosets | Resins or plastic compounds, which in their final state are infusible and insoluble. After being fully cured, thermosets cannot be resoftened by heat. |
| TMC | Thick molding compound. |
| TPE | Thermoplastic elastomer. |
| TPU | Thermoplastic polyurethane. |
| Transfer Molding | A process of forming articles by fusing a plastic material in a chamber then forcing the whole mass into a hot mold to solidify. |
| UF | Urea-formaldehyde. |
| UHM | Ultra-high-modulus. |
| UHMW | Ultra-high molecular weight. |
| UL | Underwriter’s Laboratories. |
| UL Temperature Index | The maximum temperature below which a material maintains its electrical and mechanical integrity over a reasonable period. Some of the material that we use (eg materials for our SHR range) are UL certified for the temperature resistance). Please check the UL web site for more info. |
| UV | Ultraviolet. |
| Vacuum Forming | A process whereby a heated plastic sheet is drawn against a mold surface by evacuating the air between it and the mold. |
| VAE | Vinyl acetate-ethylene |
| Vicat Softening Point | The temperature at which a flat ended needle will penetrate a specimen under a specific load using a uniform rate of temperature rise. |
| Virgin Material | A plastic material that has not been subjected to use or processing other than that required for its initial manufacture. It can be in the form of pellets, granules, powder, floc, or liquid. |
| Volume Resistivity | The measure of ratio of the potential gradient parallel to the current in the material to the current in density. |
| Warpage | A nonuniform change in internal stresses resulting distortion or warp of the material. |
| Water Absorption, 24 hours | The percentage of water absorbed by a material when immersed in water for 24 hours; water absorbed in a material chiefly affects its electrical properties. This property also affect the elasticity of materials that are hygroscopic such as our RMS-01 and RMS-19. |
| Wet Winding | A fiber reinforcement material is coated with a polymer compound as a liquid prior to wrapping on a mandrel in the filament wound manufacturing process. |
| Wetting Agent | Wetting is produced when this surface active agent decreases the cohesion within a liquid. For wetting to occur, the adhesive force between the two phases (solid and liquid) is greater than the cohesive force within the liquid. |
