| Résumé | Plastics are man-made materials based on organic polymers. Plastic articles and structures are made from raw materials called plastic compounds, mixtures containing one or more polymers and various ingredients such as lubricants, stabilizers, fillers, colorants, etc. These are incorporated to improve processing or to change the physical, chemical or electrical properties of the end products. According to the way they react to heat, plastic materials may be classified as thermo-plastics and thermosetting plastics. Articles and structures made from thermoplastic compounds can be repeatedly softened by heat and hardened by cooling, and are based on linear or branched polymers. Thermosetting plastic compounds are based on polymers that undergo a chemical reaction during fabrication to form a cross-linked or tridimensional structure that results in a relatively infusible, intractable and insoluble material. Thermosetting materials cannot be reshaped. |
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