Polyethylen (PE)
Polyethylene is a thermoplastic of the olefin family, consisting of repeating ethylene units. Chemically, it is considered to be the polymer with the simpleststructure and is characterised by its flexibility and strength.
Types of Polyethylen (PE)
High density polyethylene (HDPE)
High density polyethylene, better known as HDPE, is a colourless, translucent, solid thermoplastic with a density range between 0.93 to 0.97 g/cm3 and a good density/strength ratio. Both its stiffness and its resistance to corrosion, heat and impact are higher than those of LDPE.
Low density polyethylene (LDPE)
LDPE is a thermoplastic with a highly branched structure, which is why its density is between 0.910 and 0.940 g/cm3, lower than that of HDPE, and is characterised not only by its wide range of applications, but also by its high performance, high moisture-blocking capacity, chemical resistance and optical clarity.
Medium density polyethylene (MDPE)
Medium density polyethylene is a thermoplastic with a density range of 0.926.0.940 g/cm3, which balances the properties of low density polyethylene (LDPE/LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE/HDPE), being less dense but more resistant to stress cracking than the former and more rigid than the latter.
Applications of Polyethylen (PE)
The main applications of polyethylene are pipes, toys, cables, food packaging, prostheses, detergent and cleaning product packaging, plastic bags of all kinds and laboratory equipment