Global consumption has been increasing steadily, a trend which should continue because of growth in key markets, particularly the Far East. The current total global capacity for producing styrenic copolymers is around 6,500 kt, and the number of producers is limited. The chemistry of these materials is outlined, together with a summary of manufacturing methods. By varying the monomer content of these materials the properties can be adapted. For example for SAN, increasing the content of styrene improves stiffness, clarity and processability. The presence of an elastomeric phase in ABS improves the impact resistance for engineering applications. Special purpose grades include high-temperature, clear and weather-resistant materials. Styrenic copolymers are increasingly being used in blends and alloys, and the properties of the styrenic polymers tend to predominate. The morphology, manufacture and properties of key materials are described here. Styrenic copolymers can be processed by all the common methods including injection moulding, extrusion and blow moulding.
This review concentrates on interesting developments such as thin-wall techniques, multi-component injection moulding and co-extrusion. This review is extensively referenced in the text. It is accompanied by summaries of the cited papers from the Rapra Polymer Library database (formerly known as Rapra Abstracts). These papers are indexed to allow the reader to search for information on specific topics.
Share This Book: