The demand for plastic materials in toys is increasing. Which plastic materials are more suitable for making toys among our common plastic materials? We will conduct a detailed analysis below.
Polypropylene (PP)
Polypropylene can be divided into homopolymer PP-H and copolymer PP-R. Homopolymer PP-H is commonly used in the production of plastic toys, which has high strength and high temperature resistance, with a maximum temperature tolerance of up to 100 ℃. Therefore, toys made of homopolymer PP can be disinfected by boiling hot water. However, homopolymer PP has poor impact resistance, light resistance, aging resistance, and dimensional stability due to its high structural regularity, Therefore, toys made of homopolymer PP require the addition of additives to achieve good performance.
Polyethylene (PE)
Polyethylene is also a commonly used raw material for toy products, with abundant raw materials, good molding, high strength, wear resistance, and good toughness, making it suitable for making various plastic injection molded products. But polyethylene is soft, so the surface of the toy is prone to scratches, resulting in an unattractive appearance. Moreover, the heat resistance temperature of polyethylene is relatively low, making it difficult to disinfect with hot water, and its hygiene indicators cannot be comparable to those of homopolymer PP.
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
PVC products have variable softness and hardness, and their material prices are relatively low. Previously, businesses used PVC materials to make toy products. However, research has found that PVC has poor stability and is prone to releasing toxic gases in high heat environments. Toys are generally used by children, so PVC toy products have safety hazards. Currently, PVC toy products have basically withdrawn from the market.
ABS ternary blend
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a blend polymer with excellent heat resistance, abrasion resistance, elasticity, toughness, impact resistance, rigidity, aging resistance, smooth surface, and good colourability. It is commonly used in heavy industrial products such as household appliances and automobiles. ABS material toys are resistant to falling and wear, and have a longer lifespan than PP and PE toys. The main drawback of ABS is that it is easy to absorb water, so it often requires a drying process before processing to be used properly.
Polycarbonate (PC)
PC materials are more expensive than previous materials, with the best impact resistance, transparency, molding stability, and low molding shrinkage. But it has a high sensitivity to notches, so once a plastic toy has a notch, if the product falls again, it will completely rupture.
PP/PVC/PE/PC/ABS is a common plastic material for toys, and materials such as PET/POM can also be used to make toys. PET material is a type of polyester material, which is often used for clothing fibers and bottle packaging. Currently, polyethylene and polypropylene materials are still the most commonly used materials for toy products in China.