Which plastics are commonly used in refrigerator production?

The main plastics used in refrigerator production include: polyurethane (PU), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer (ABS), and polyethylene (PE). These five major types of plastics cover almost 90% of the plastic parts used in refrigerators. At present, refrigerators have the largest demand for plastic raw materials among household appliances, and the average proportion of plastics in each refrigerator is as high as 30-50% or more. Among them, PS, polyurethane, ABS and PP occupy an important proportion in refrigerators.

The following is a brief introduction of refrigerator plastic products:

1. PU

PU (Polyurethane), full name is urethane, abbreviated as polyurethane. Polyurethane foam material has the characteristics of low thermal conductivity and good processing performance, and is very suitable for heat insulation, so it is widely used in the insulation layer of refrigerator doors and boxes.

As a material for manufacturing key parts of products, refrigerator companies have higher requirements for PU materials. Among the required plastic costs, PU accounts for about 40-50% of the cost.

2. PS

PS (Polystyrene), the full name is polystyrene. The polystyrene commonly used in refrigerator production includes general-purpose polystyrene (GPPS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and expandable polystyrene (EPS). Polystyrene is the most used plastic variety in refrigerator production, and its consumption accounts for more than 60% of the total refrigerator plastic consumption.

GPPS is characterized by good dimensional stability and low shrinkage. In refrigerator production, it is mainly used for injection molding to manufacture transparent and hard parts in refrigerators, such as food boxes and bottle holders. Since these components will directly face consumers, refrigerator companies require products manufactured by GPPS to have a bright and flat appearance.

HIPS is a toughened and modified polystyrene, so it not only retains the advantages of high strength and easy processing of polystyrene, but also has good impact resistance and good ductility after heating. In the production of refrigerators, HIPS is mainly used to manufacture the inner liner and door lining of refrigerators, and the processing technology adopted is the vacuum adsorption molding method.

The foamed structure of EPS makes it have good shock absorption performance, which is mainly used to manufacture the shock absorption auxiliary material in the packaging and transportation of the refrigerator finished product.

3. PP

PP (Polypropylene), the full name is polypropylene. Polypropylene is the plastic variety with the best mechanical properties among the thermoplastic general-purpose plastics. It has a simple production process and low price. Injection molded products have high toughness and surface finish. At the same time, it has good chemical corrosion resistance. It is mainly used in refrigerator production. Manufacture refrigerator drawers.

4. ABS

ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) is a terpolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. It has excellent comprehensive properties such as high strength, good gloss, easy processing, and low product shrinkage. A wide range of engineering plastics. In refrigerators, ABS is mainly used to process appearance parts, such as door handles and various decorative strips.

5. PE

PE (Polyethyrene), the full name of polyethylene, is the most produced variety in plastics, accounting for about one-third of the world's total plastic production. The characteristics of PE are odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, with good impact resistance and chemical resistance, and low water permeability [9]. In the production of refrigerators, PE is mainly used for the manufacture of various pipes, and refrigerator companies usually use blow molding methods for processing.

6. Other plastics

In addition to the above five types of materials, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polyoxymethylene (POM), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyamide (PA) are also common in refrigerator production Plastic, mainly used for door seals, lampshades, hinges, display panels and shaft sleeves.