pet raw material suppliers
PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most important commercial polyester.1 It is a transparent, amorphous thermoplastic when solidified by rapid cooling or a semi-crystalline plastic when cooled slowly or when cold-drawn.2 PET is produced by polycondensation of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid. It can be easily thermoformed or molded into almost any shape. Besides excellent processing characteristics, it has many other attractive properties like high strength and toughness, good abrasion and heat resistance, low creep at elevated temperatures, good chemical resistance, and excellent dimensional stability, particularly when fiber-reinforced. PET grades used in industrial and engineering applications are often reinforced with glass fibers or compounded with silicates, graphite and other fillers to improve strength and rigidity and/or to lower cost.
PET finds major uses in the textile and packaging industries. Fibers made from this polyester have excellent crease and wear resistance, low moisture absorption and are very durable. These characteristics makes polyester fibers a popular choice for many textile applications, in particular apparel and home furnishings. The applications range from clothing articles like shirts, pants, socks and jackets to home furnishing and bedroom textiles like blankets, bed sheets, comforters, carpets, cushioning in pillows as well as upholstery padding and upholstered furniture. As a thermoplastic, PET is mainly used for the production of films (BOPET) and blow-molded bottles for carbonated soft drinks. Other uses of (filled) PET include handles and housings for appliances such as cookers, toasters, shower heads, and industrial pump housings to name only a few applications.