Glass-Filled Thermoplastics – A Better Alternative To Standard Thermoplastics

Glass-filled thermoplastics is considered a great alternative to normal thermoplastic. Thermoplastics are generally known for their resilience, durability and impact resistance. So, when combined with glass-filled resins, the quality goes up a notch further, and the resultant product is stronger, more stable, and more resistant to corrosive chemicals and oils.

Let us take the example of one of the finest glass-filled thermoplastics – nylon – to illustrate the role of adding glass-filled resins.

Glass-Filled Nylon And Its Significant Role In Industries

We often use nylon in the form of simple, mundane domestic or household products. However, its industrial applications include injection-moulded automotive parts, mechanical equipment, bearings, bushings, and gears, to name just a few.

The widely used standard nylon already exhibits toughness, flexibility, thermal resistance and tensile strength. These properties are further enhanced when glass fibres or powdered glass are added to the nylon resin. Technically known as “glass-filled nylon”, this enhanced product is a much better option in all aspects. As a result, almost all the thermoplastic industries use this incredibly versatile and reliable material to manufacture a host of industrial and commercial products.

According to experts, glass-filled nylon has:

• Enhanced compressive strength
• Greater tensile strength
• Better thermal expansion rate
• Reliable thermal dimensional stability
• Exceptional material hardness
• Finer chemical and dielectric properties

Today, glass-filled nylon is creating new inroads in thermoplastics. From home appliances to high-range industrial equipment, glass-filled nylon has become an essential ingredient that lends its properties to enhance product quality.

Glass-filled nylon can be found in:

• Automotive parts include windshield wipers, speedometer gears, wire connectors, fender extensions, and brake fluid reservoirs
• Business machine parts
• Domestic appliances and appliance spare parts such as bearings, cooling fans, high-grade door latches, washers, wire connectors, and stampings

Despite the many benefits offered by “glass-filled nylon,” you also need to exercise some caution if you decide to use it in your plastic moulding applications.

Exercising Caution With Glass-Filled Nylon

Glass-filled resins indeed add more strength to the standard nylon, but the very nature of glass fibres can cause internal stress and warping. It also causes cooling rate and shrinking rate issues that impact the degree of warpage.

Glass-filled plastic parts are more brittle and highly abrasive, causing the mating component to wear and tear quickly. Glass-filled nylons are also ideal for injection moulding parts built specifically for low-impact applications. But they are not ideal for sliding friction applications.

Additionally, moulding industries running on a tight budget will have to step cautiously, as glass-filled resins are a bit on the expensive side.

Now, are there solutions for these technical problems? Sure, there are. As a reputed injection moulding company, TPI has the expertise to process various materials to manufacture products for many applications. In fact, in our experience, we have observed that glass-filled resins can prove to be a worthwhile investment for injection moulding processes if the moulds have the following criteria:

• Lacks sharp 90-degree turns.
• Devoid of uneven wall thickness.
• Have simple geometric aspects.
• Have fewer holes and turns.

There is no such thing as a perfect material when it comes to plastic injection moulding. It is crucial, however, to understand each resin’s limitations and how they might influence the outcome of your project

Glass-Filled Nylon Resins- The Pros Always Outweigh The Cons

As far as glass-filled nylon resins are concerned, the pros definitely outweigh the cons, which is why they are highly recommended for thermoplastic injection moulding processes.

Tech Plaastic Industrie is one of India’s prominent suppliers of injection moulded automotive and electrical components. Our company has the expertise and capacity to handle injection moulding projects of any complexity. Click here to get in touch with our team and discuss your requirements.