Rapid Analysis of Plastic Pellets

Introduction

Plastic is used in countless production processes, from extrusion and injection molding to blow molding and thermoforming. Although the processes vary widely, the need for process control and quality control is universal. Moisture content in raw and compounded plastic pellets has a direct impact on nearly all molding processes and must be tightly controlled. Purity levels in neat plastic are an indication of successful polymerization and can provide valuable information on catalyst consumption during polymerization. Master batch additives such as fillers, colorants, antioxidants, and plasticizers must be within specification for performance of the final product to be satisfactory. Filler content is typically quantified by ash analysis, whereas other additives such as plasticizers and antioxidants must typically be extracted from the polymer sample for analysis by chromatography.

This study demonstrates that CEM’s rapid analysis technologies can analyze a wide range of plastics with reference-level precision and accuracy.