Moulded Plastic

The Versatility Of Moulded Plastic

Consumers both in South Africa and worldwide are exposed to any number of moulded plastic products on a daily basis. In fact, modern life could simply not provide the convenience of a variety of packaged products without moulded plastic containers. Consumers rely on such plastic containers for their access to a variety of food products that are produced by both domestic and international manufacturers. The ability of these containers to assume almost any form, as well as provide a water and airtight solution to packaging challenges, has made the variety of different compounds used skyrocket over the past few decades.

Prior to the Second World War, moulded plastic products were simply not available due to the fact that the synthetic materials used in the production of goods made of plastic did not exist. Today, the variety of goods available that are constructed from this versatile material is simply mind boggling.

One of the most used applications is in the production of both rigid plastic piping and flexible plastic piping. These products can be manufactured from either low density polyethylene, in the case of fence droppers, as well as both high and low density material in the case of flexible piping. The fence droppers that are manufactured from polyethylene are extremely popular for a number of reasons, including the fact that these droppers are resistant to damage cause by fires of moderate heat. This makes the fence droppers made from moulded plastic suitable for agricultural use where periodic fires that affect both agricultural crops and wild flora can expose the moulded plastic fence droppers to this level of heat without undue damage.

The flexible plastic piping finds a variety of uses in both the home environment and in industrial and commercial application. One of the best known domestic uses for flexible plastic piping is for irrigation systems for gardens. The same type of irrigation systems that use moulded plastic piping are also used in greenhouses and other industrial applications where the flexibility of the hoses allows a minimal amount of connections to be used. The cutting down on the amount of hose connectors can save a large amount of water that is potentially lost due to leakage. This leakage can have a negative impact on the profitability of the organisation making use of the plastic piping through added water costs. The unplanned impact of the water leakage can also ruin a crop or the appearance of a garden.

The use of moulded plastic piping is preferred by many agricultural concerns in South Africa due to the fact that these pipes are entirely corrosion resistant and sections of piping can be easily replaced if they are damaged through accident.

The popularity of moulded plastic for a variety of uses is in part due to the durability of this versatile material. Whereas in the past agricultural concerns needed to be worries about leakage due to faulty connections and the corrosion of the piping these concerns are today a thing of the past.

Plastic products have changed the lives of every single person on the face of the planet. The processes used to extrude moulded plastic make it suitable for the production of a wide variety of goods. Utilitarian products, such as wheelie bins, buckets and even garden furniture which is highly weather resistant, are all made from this particular type of plastic.

A world without plastic products would be tremendously more difficult to live in. Both rural and urban communities rely on products such as buckets and basins in order to accomplish everyday tasks. Without cheap and easy to produce moulded plastic these products would be both unwieldy to handle and more expensive.