LDPE Sheeting And How It Can Be Used
LDPE (low-density polyethylene) sheeting is an extremely flexible plastic that offers manufacturers and users some benefits. While it is similar to high-density products, there are some reasons to use LDPE sheets for some products.
Flexibility
One of the most significant benefits the LDPE sheets offer is the flexibility of the material. It can be used in a lot of ways, but when the material is thin enough, it retains its strength but is exceptionally pliable or flexible. Plastic bags like sandwich or storage bags are made from LDPE for these very reasons.
The bags remain flexible, but even when overfilled, a good quality bag made from LDPE will stretch and give some to retain the contents. This makes it an excellent plastic for creating packaging materials for products as well.
Availability
LDPE is readily available to manufacturers using it to make packing and products. Manufacturers of products like bottles may use thicker LDPE sheets in the product, but even in thicker applications, the plastic has some give to it. A plastic bottle, for instance, is more robust than a plastic bag, but once the bottle is empty, crushing it to fit more in the recycle bin is not difficult, and many people do it daily.
Manufacturers buying LDPE sheets can find thin sheets rolled onto a spool or heavy sheets that are stacked and shipped on pallets from many different suppliers. The more substantial material is often used for manufacturing larger items or can be chipped up and melted to use in an LDPE molding operation. Many suppliers also carry pellets of LDPE that can save the manufacturing facility time and money by not having to chip the material themselves.
Properties and Adjustments
LDPE sheets have some specific properties that are common to the material, but working directly with the supplier of the material to get a blend of several plastics to make the perfect substrate for your product is common. Many companies use proprietary blends of LDPE and other plastics in their production facilities.
While the process can take time, the supplier or manufacturer of the LDPE sheets can often make small batches with slight changes, adjusting the balance over time, until the plastic is right for the buyer's needs. Manufacturing LDPE sheets involves some chemistry and some lab work, but most suppliers have a team of scientists or researchers on-site that specialize in creating LDPE sheets and bulk material for the customer and can work with you to find the perfect blend to make your product from.
For more information, contact an LDPE sheet manufacturer.