How Uniqueness of Plastic gave Rise to Injection Molding Machine Industry

In the last 100 years, plastic has entered in every aspect of our life. For example, in standard office workstations, one easily spots plastic, either the computers we use, the sockets, the chair, or even in the workstations itself. How did plastic creep into our life, in our most intimate moments? The answer is not surprising, since its discovery, it is proved to a most versatile material human has come across, leaving traditional materials, such as metals, wood, leather, and stones, far behind. The journey of plastic started with its use in appliances, casings for radio and telephone, kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, and children’s toys, as a non-conductor of heat and electricity. It was Bakelite – a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin-that proved to be applicable in arrays of things.

The other plastics that changed the manufacturing industry were polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylchloride (PVC). The arrival of PS opened new gates in manufacturing, as it was the first synthetic material that could mimic the properties of glass, being transparent, but with better resistance to breakage. Its production has reached several billion kilograms per year. It is used for making protective packaging, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, and disposable cutlery. PVC on the other has its own unique properties. Since it is rigid, it is used in manufacturing of plumbing, electrical cable insulation, imitation leather, signage, inflatable products, and applications where it replaces rubber. Later three other plastic variables – polyethylene, polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – were discovered that at present are used as the leading modern material. Polyethylene, with its production of around 80 million tones, is used primarily in packaging, such as plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes, and containers. Polypropylene, having thermosetting properties, has applications in packaging, labeling, laboratory equipment, textiles, loudspeakers and automotive components. The latest plastic is PET, which has its application majorly in production of synthetic fibers.

The common feature that runs through all these types of plastics is the ability to be molded in any geometrical structure, which was unprecedented. This unique feature started a new Injection Molding Machine Industry, which only in China had a turnover of $3.2 billion in 2015. Similarly, other Asian countries, such as India, Korea and Japan, have their own Injection Molding Machine industries, with variable share in the global market. However, like other manufacturing industry, China is the market leader, with its hugenumbers of plastic injection mold supplier, in outsourcing the machines and its products, such as injection mould plastic trays, automobile parts, household appliances, food and beverage packaging, plastic building materials and electronic communications. If the current trend will follow in 2016, the turnover of the industry will rise to $3.5 billion in China.