The Advantages and Disadvantages of Polyethylene

Polyethylene is the most popular and commonly used plastic in the world, used in shopping bags, toys and shampoo bottles. There are over 100 million tonnes of the material&#;s resins produced annually, which accounts for 34% of the plastics market. Following on from our blog post about the advantages and disadvantages of polypropylene, in this article, we will be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of polyethylene in the industry.

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Advantages

Polyethylene has many benefits which is why it has been used to make many products over the years.

• Polyethylene has many useful properties which make it suitable for several applications. It has low strength and hardness, but is very ductile and has good impact strength; it will stretch rather than break.
• Polyethylene is water resistant and durable, so it is longer lasting when exposed to the elements compared to other polymers.
• Polyethylene is a good electric insulator, offering electric treeing resistance but can become electrostatically charged. Adding antistatic agents will prevent this.
• Depending on the thickness of the polyethylene, it can be almost transparent to opaque. The clearness of low-density polyethylene (PE) makes it suitable for packaging.
• Polyethylene as HDPE can be recycled into other products, which is more cost effective than manufacturing a new product from new plastic.
• Polyethylene has a melting point range of 120 to 180 degrees Celsius for medium to high density and 105 to 115 degrees Celsius for low-density polyethylene. The good heat resistant properties enable it to be used in high and low temperatures.

Disadvantages

Despite its popularity, polyethylene is a polymer with a few disadvantages which can deter manufacturers and consumers from using it.

• The polymer, like many other plastics, takes a long time to break down, and as such can end up in landfill sites for decades, which we are running out of space for.
• Another way to dispose of polyethylene is incineration, which can result in harmful gas emissions.
• Polyethylene is mainly extracted from petroleum or natural gas, of which there is a finite amount.
• Producing polyethylene takes a large amount of energy and also leads to high emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change.
• Though it is technically possible to recycle the majority of plastic polymers, there are many different types to sort through, which is expensive and complex.

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Polyester film and PEN film are two films that are very similar. This article compares some properties of the two technical films.

polyester films

What are the properties of polyester film?

Polyester or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a high performance, crystal clear thermoplastic made from ethylene glycol and dimethyl terephthalate (DMT). Compared to other common plastic films, PET film has higher tensile strength, excellent dimensional stability, low moisture absorption, and good retention of physical properties over a relatively wide temperature range.

In addition, it has excellent UV resistance, excellent electrical properties, good optical clarity, high gloss and good gas barrier properties, but only moderate moisture barrier properties.

It is the ideal film for high quality printing and laminating processes and a good choice for high performance plastic films and sheets. It has a relatively high melting point, making it suitable for applications that require high temperature sterilization.

It is generally considered a specialty film due to its higher price compared to PVC, PE and PP films.

What Are The Applications For Polyester Film?

PET film can be metallized, resulting in improved gas barrier properties for demanding applications where long product shelf life is important. PET films are suitable for a wide range of industrial, electronic and automotive applications. It is fully recyclable and can easily be further processed into many other products for different applications.

However, unlike paper and other cellulosic products, PET does not readily decompose. However, there are biodegradable additives that improve the biodegradability of this plastic without affecting its physical properties.

The most important polyester film is the biaxially oriented PET or BOPET. Compared to other common plastic films, it maintains its physical properties over a relatively wide temperature range of around -70°C to 100°C.

Despite its higher price, BOPET has found many high volume applications that require this stronger and dimensionally stable film.

A major disadvantage of BOPET is the higher manufacturing cost and higher investment cost of equipment.

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PET film in use

PET films are often an excellent choice for more demanding food and non-food applications. The main uses of polyester film include:

• microwave and medical packaging,
• plastic sheets,
• adhesive tapes,
• printed foils,
• plastic cards,
• protective coatings such as solar and security window films,
• release films,
• Insulating foils for transformers and
• flexible circuit boards.

PET is also used as an aroma barrier film (e.g. for coffee and tobacco packaging). This type of foil is sometimes metalized by vapor deposition of metals, which further improves the barrier against oxygen, water vapor and flavor loss.

Low odor, high chemical resistance and inertness make many PET grades suitable for packaging applications subject to FDA regulations.

Polyester films are offered in a variety of types, thicknesses and widths with properties tailored to the specific needs of particular end-use applications.

In our article "Polyester film brands: Mylar, Hostaphan, Melinex, Lumirror and Garware' information on the various brands of polyester film can be found.

PEN (polyethylene naphthalate)

What are the characteristics of PEN film?

Polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) is a semi-aromatic, transparent polyester synthesized from naphthalene-2,6-dicarboxylic acid and ethylene glycol. Compared to PET, it has lower oxygen permeability, better hydrolysis resistance, higher tensile strength and service temperature, and lower elongation and shrinkage due to its higher glass transition temperature (120°C vs. 75°C). PEN typically outperforms PET in demanding high-end applications and is often a good, lower-cost alternative to polyimides. Its performance is between polyester and high performance polyimides.

What are the applications of PEN film?

PEN is used extensively for film applications. Some examples are

• flexible printed circuits,
• insulating foils in transformers,
• labels,
• laminates and
• optical displays.

Due to its low oxygen permeability, it is particularly suitable for products that are sensitive to oxidation. PEN is also used as a high performance fiber. It has a very high modulus and better dimensional stability than other polyester or nylon fibers.

The most famous brand for PEN film is the brand &#;Teonex". Another brand name is "Kaladex".

How do PEN and PET film differ in terms of processing?

Both technical foils can be cut, punched, formed and coated very well. Feathered ribbons for transformer construction can also be made from both foils.

Summary

What are the main differences between PEN and PET?

PEN differs from PET in that it is more gas-tight and dimensionally stable under heat, as well as the mechanical values &#;&#;(modulus of elasticity, strength) and increased chemical, UV and hydrolysis resistance. On the other hand, the flex life is lower and the price is higher than that of polyester film.

PEN films have many superior properties such as strength, heat resistance, resistance to hydrolysis, dimensional stability and low oligomer extraction. Because of these performance characteristics, PEN films have the potential to outperform other technical films such as B. polyimide film to replace, with an additional cost advantage. PEN film also has good processing properties (similar to polyester film).

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