• The Powder Coating Institute (PCI)
• NACE International (The Corrosion Society) 

Caplugs featured a full line of masking solutions developed for both low and high-heat processes. Caplugs masking line includes caps, plugs, tapes and discs. 

• ASRAE
• AHRI

Caplugs molds a wide range of plastic materials. Knowing what material you want is often dictated by material function, durometer, aesthetics, as well as other attributes. Other projects will drive material choice based on cost. Here I’ve listed some basics of the material from a “high level” perspective.

For the most part, plastic materials are divided into two primary segments – Thermoplastics and Thermosets.

Thermosets require heat to cure after forming and after curing they cannot be remelted and formed again. Popular thermosets are Thermoset Elastomer (rubbers) EPDM, Nitrile, Neoprene, Silicone Rubber, etc. and rigid Thermosets including Epoxies, Melamines, Phenolics, and others.

• Processing Thermoset plastics typically are more costly including higher scrap percentages (which cannot be reclaimed and used again), longer processing times (required for curing) and increased labor content.
• These economic disadvantages drive the majority of usage to thermoplastics

Thermoplastics require heat for softening and to flow and form the plastic resin and when the heat is removed the thermoplastic retains its formed shape. The molded article can then be remelted and reformed into another totally different article typically with very little loss of properties. It is this feature and many other outstanding features of thermoplastics that make them the material of choice for many applications.

Additionally thermoplastic processing requires relatively little energy compared to other processes and the total processing can be completed for some products in a little as a few seconds. Further, the molded and formed article invariable requires little or no post processing (trimming, sanding, painting, and plating). These fundamental properties yield incredible economics over other processing methods.

There are literally thousands of different plastics however most are alloys and blends of about 20 primary thermoplastic materials (Acrylic, Polycarbonate, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Nylons (Polyamides), Polystyrene, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), etc.)

Thermoplastics are broken into two major classifications commodity plastics and engineered resins.

• Commodity resins are the most economical and widely used and Caplugs primarily processes a range of commodity resins to provide the greatest value and advantages to our customers
• Commodity resins typically sell for under $1 per pound and include polyolofins (polyethylene and polypropylene), polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride.

Engineering resins typically cost several dollars per pound or more and are typically used for the most physically demanding applications.

Thermoplastics can also be divided into two other categories called amorphous plastics and semi crystalline plastics. Amorphous plastics are typically transparent (acrylic, polycarbonate, polystyrene) and semicrystaline materials appear cloudy or milky like a plastic milk jug. Amorphous materials typically have very poor chemical resistance

Caplugs frequently uses polyethylene in many forms LDPE, HDPE, and LLDPE because of a combination of economics for the end user, flexibility for range of fit, performance and protection of physical properties, and resistance to chemicals and oils from industrial environments.

Polyvinyl chloride provides excellent economics, physical properties for protection, and a wide range of resistance to chemicals and oils, and flexibility for both sealing and fit.

PVC additionally offers unique material gloss aesthetics making it ideal for finishing applications where improved cosmetics are desired.

This post was written by Fred Zeyfang, VP of Engineering