What is The Process of Plastic Production?

What is The Process of Plastic Production? 1.7 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year in the UK alone and are used on a wide range of products. We have almost become reliant on plastic; however, do you know what is involved in the production and life cycle of these plastics? The Process The process of plastic begins with the extraction of natural raw materials such as cellulose, coal, natural gas, oils and plants, and crude oil. These natural materials are then refined into ethane and propane in order to be treated with heat in a process called cracking. This process converts ethane and propane into monomers such as ethylene and propylene. These monomers are combined with a catalyst to create a polymer that can be fed through an extruder, where it’s melted and fed into a pipe. As this tube cools, it can be cut into small pellets in order to be distributed around many different factories. Once distributed, these plastic pellets can be melted and manufactured into many different plastic products such as water bottles, food packaging, car parts, and much more. Once these products have been used to their full potential, they can then be recycled back into the process. There are four main ways of manufacturing goods from plastic, including: Extrusion This method uses plastic pellets, which get added to an extruder and melted by heat and pushed through an opening in order to create the desired shape. This process is usually used to make things like plastic bags and pipes/tubes. Injection Moulding During this method, pellets get fed into a heating chamber where they become soft, then placed in a cooled mould to become the desired product. This process is used to make things such as plastic bowls and yoghurt pots. Blow Moulding This process consists of blowing the semi-molten plastic into a cooled mould where it stretches and presses on the outer edge of the mould. This process is used to create hollow plastic products such as milk bottles and shampoo bottles. Rotational Moulding During this process, granules are placed in a closed mould in a machine that rotates on two axes. This mould then rotates whilst being heated, causing the plastic to be evenly distributed around the mould to create a coating. This process is used to create products such as bins and containers and a variety of toys. Lifecycle of Plastic The majority of plastic products can get recycled at the end of use, meaning they get thrown back into the cycle to be produced into new products and materials. At this recycling stage, because each plastic materials have different properties, they get separated in order to send them to the correct recycling facility where the material is melted into pellets and transformed into the desired material and product. The process of plastic is like a never-ending cycle, once plastic products have left the factory they are then brought back to be recycled and go through the process all over again. Here at Rayda, we create bespoke plastic products for a variety of applications. If you would like to talk to our team about our plastic products and our process, please contact our team today.

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