Omar Khalid
Fillers are organic or inorganic compounds added to plastics to change their properties. They can be used to alter physical properties, reduce costs, trim weight, change the electrical conductivity, and enhance thermal properties. Fillers can be mineral, glass-based, or metallic. Some fillers, such as barium sulfate, tungsten, and bismuth, are dense and are used to increase the density of plastics, while others, such as hollow glass types, are used to reduce density.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To change the properties of the original plastic |
| Composition | Minerals, glass, carbon, cellulose, wood flour, plant fibres, metals, etc. |
| Types | Particulates, fibres, hollow, dense, etc. |
| Properties | Increase density, improve moulding, increase operating temperature, improve electrical and thermal conductivity, improve heat resistance, etc. |
| Advantages | Low cost, abundant raw materials, improve weldability, ease of manufacturing, etc. |
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What You'll Learn
- Mineral fillers like calcium carbonate, silica, clay, and kaolin increase density and heat resistance
- Glass fillers improve mechanical properties and oil absorption but have high viscosity and poor weldability
- Metallic fillers like stainless steel, copper, and tungsten increase density, provide radiation shielding, and improve electrical conductivity
- Cellulosic fillers are low-cost, low-density fillers for thermosetting resins
- Platy fillers like talc and mica reinforce and improve barrier properties
Mineral fillers like calcium carbonate, silica, clay, and kaolin increase density and heat resistance
Fillers are widely used in the production process of plastic products to change the properties of the original plastic. They are also used to save production costs and raw materials. Most filler materials used in plastics are mineral or glass-based.
Mineral fillers like calcium carbonate, silica, clay, and kaolin are known to increase the density and heat resistance of plastics. Calcium carbonate, for example, is an important inorganic powder additive in plastic processing. It is derived from limestone and marble and can be used in many applications, including PVCs and unsaturated polyesters. It can improve moulding productivity by decreasing the cooling rate, increase operating temperatures, and provide insulation for electrical wiring. When added to HDPE, it significantly increases the density of the filling material.
Kaolin is also used in plastics for its anti-blocking characteristics and as an infrared absorber in laser marking. It increases impact strength and heat resistance. It has also been shown to increase abrasion resistance and can replace carbon black as a filler material, improving the flow properties of glass-reinforced substances.
Additionally, fillers like calcium carbonate and kaolin can increase the resin's ability to transmit ultrasonic waves during ultrasonic welding. Kaolin clay has also been found to significantly modify sediment conditions, with implications for the composition, diversity, and stability of rhizosphere microorganisms.
Overall, the use of mineral fillers in plastics offers a range of benefits, including increased density, heat resistance, and improved physical and mechanical properties.
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Glass fillers improve mechanical properties and oil absorption but have high viscosity and poor weldability
Fillers are particles added to binders such as resin, thermoplastics, and cement to create a composite material. They are used to improve specific properties or reduce costs. In the context of plastics, fillers are added to polymers to bring about various property changes and improvements. These changes can include altering physical properties, reducing costs, trimming weight, changing electrical conductivity, and enhancing thermal properties.
Glass fillers, specifically, are used to increase the mechanical properties of the thermoplastic or thermoset, such as flexural modulus and tensile strength. Glass beads and fibers have been shown to improve creep resistance in some materials. Additionally, glass beads aid in oil absorption and chemical resistance.
However, there are some drawbacks to using glass fillers. Glass fillers can result in low surface quality, high viscosity when melted, poor weldability, and warpage. For instance, the addition of talc and glass during electromagnetic welding and hot plate welding can reduce weld strength by up to 32%. The weld strength decreases further with a higher amount of fillers in the matrix compared to the bulk material.
While glass fillers offer improvements in certain mechanical properties and oil absorption, their use is counterbalanced by challenges such as high viscosity and poor weldability.
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Metallic fillers like stainless steel, copper, and tungsten increase density, provide radiation shielding, and improve electrical conductivity
Fillers are widely used in plastics to change the properties of the original plastic. They can be used to reinforce plastics, allowing manufacturers to save on production costs and raw materials. Most filler materials used in plastics are mineral or glass-based, with particulates and fibers being the main subgroups.
Metallic fillers, such as stainless steel, copper, and tungsten, are also used and offer a range of benefits. Firstly, they increase density. For example, tungsten has a density of 19.254 g/cm3, comparable to that of uranium and gold, and is, therefore, a good option for increasing the density of plastics. Stainless steel will also increase density when used as a filler, as it is much heavier than plastic. For instance, a part made from steel will be more than six times heavier than the same part made from thermoplastic.
Secondly, metallic fillers can provide radiation shielding. Tungsten is used for radiation shielding in the radiopharmaceutical industry and is one of the main sources for X-ray targets due to its excellent shielding properties. Stainless steel, with its ability to block radiation, can also be used for radiation shielding.
Lastly, metallic fillers can improve electrical conductivity. Copper, for instance, has been added to high-density recycled polyethylene matrices to test its effect on the material's properties.
In conclusion, metallic fillers like stainless steel, copper, and tungsten offer a range of benefits when added to plastics, including increased density, radiation shielding capabilities, and improved electrical conductivity.
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Cellulosic fillers are low-cost, low-density fillers for thermosetting resins
Fillers are particles added to binders, such as resin, to make a composite material. They are used to improve specific properties or make the product cheaper. In the processing of plastic, fillers are added to polymers to accomplish property changes and improvements. They can alter physical properties, reduce costs, trim weight, change the electrical conductivity, and enhance thermal properties.
Cellulosic fillers are used as fillers for thermosetting resins (phenoplasts and aminoplasts). The advantages of these cellulosic materials are their low cost and low density. Wood flour is used with phenolic and aminoplast resins to increase impact resistance, lower shrinkage during molding, and give better dimensional stability to molded parts.
Other fillers with higher density are useful for sound-deadening purposes, such as barium sulfate. Likewise, tungsten and bismuth can be used in POs to increase density and create a metal-like heaviness in consumer products. This quality is said to be potentially useful for semi-durable products like cosmetics/personal-care packaging (lipstick tubes, etc.), where the density of metal suggests quality.
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Platy fillers like talc and mica reinforce and improve barrier properties
Fillers are added to polymers to bring about property changes and improvements. They can be used to alter physical properties, reduce costs, trim weight, change the electrical conductivity, and enhance thermal properties. Fillers are also used to increase density and create a metal-like heaviness in consumer products. For instance, barium sulfate is used as a filler to increase the density of the plastic polymer.
Talc and mica are platy fillers that reinforce and improve the barrier properties of plastics. The higher the aspect ratio, the more effective they are. They reinforce along both of the long dimensions of the plate, whereas a fiber only reinforces along its one long dimension. Platy fillers are more effective than fibers of an equivalent aspect ratio. They also lead to more isotropic shrinkage, i.e. less warpage, and are often added to fiber-filled composites to reduce the high warpage that fibrous reinforcements can create.
Talc is a very soft mineral that is colourless when pure and appears white in powder form. It is derived from layering sheets of magnesium hydroxide with silica. It is an excellent filler due to its blending characteristics, thermal and electrical resistance. It is also used for its reinforcement capabilities, especially when the aspect ratio is high. However, it can make scratches more visible in a highly filled compound.
Mica is a mineral that can be used to increase tensile strength, provide uniform properties, and reduce mold shrinkage. Muscovite is the most common form of mica and is white or off-white in colour. Phlogopite is a darker form of mica with much higher temperature stability. Both types behave similarly in polymers assuming comparable particle size and aspect ratio. They can be highly reinforcing when milled to give high aspect ratio platelets. Sound damping and good electrical properties are other desirable attributes.
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Frequently asked questions
Fillers are organic or inorganic compounds added to plastics to change their properties. They can be used to alter physical properties, reduce costs, trim weight, change the electrical conductivity, and enhance thermal properties.
Fillers can both increase and decrease the density of plastic, depending on the type of filler used. For example, fillers like barium sulfate, tungsten, and bismuth increase the density of plastic, while hollow fillers are used to reduce density.
Commonly used fillers in plastics include mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, silica, clay, kaolin, and carbon, as well as glass fillers and metallic fillers.
