What is Polypropylene (PP), and What is it Used For?
According to some reports, the current global demand for the material generates an annual market of about 45 million metric tons and it is estimated that the demand will rise to approximately 62 million metric tons by 2020. The major end users of polypropylene are the packaging industry, which consumes about 30% of the total, followed by the electrical and equipment manufacturing, which uses about 13% each. Household appliances and automotive industries both consume 10% each and construction materials follows with 5% of the market. Other applications together make up the rest of the global polypropylene consumption.
Polypropylene has a relatively slippery surface which can make it a possible substitute for plastics like Acetal (POM) in low friction applications like gears or for use as a contact point for furniture. Perhaps a negative aspect of this quality is that it can be difficult to bond Polypropylene to other surfaces (i.e. it does not adhere well to certain glues that work fine with other plastics and sometimes has to be welded in the event that forming a joint is required). Although polypropylene is slippery at the molecular level, it does have a relatively high coefficient of friction - which is why acetal, nylon, or PTFE would be used instead. Polypropylene also has a low density relative to other common plastics which translates to weight savings for manufacturers and distributors of injection molded Polypropylene parts. It has exceptional resistance at room temperature to organic solvents like fats but is subject to oxidation at higher temperatures (a potential issue during injection molding).
