Trains, buses, trucks, boats and RVs are lighter weight, more durable, safer and more comfortable thanks to performance plastics. In both aesthetic and structural/bearing applications, plastics help you travel further for less money.
Applications
- Marine — seating, switchboard panels, relay bases, bearings, bushings, porthole windows, cabinetry, seals, trays, decking, bimini surrounds, cutting boards, anchor shrouds, fuel/fluid tubing
- Mass transit (rail car and bus) — bearings, pedestal liners, coupler carrier wear plates, brake bean guides, center bowl liners, luggage compartment components, folding trays, bus windows, wall panels, mirrors, driver security glazing, A/C housings, lighting covers, electrical wear shoes
- RV — windshields, interior components, wear pads, lighting covers, body panels, hinge pins
- Trucks — dump truck liners, flooring, wear pads, step ups, light housings, covers, fan shrouds, snow plows, mud flaps, fifth wheel bearing plates
Advantages May Include
- Lightweight, resulting in better fuel efficiency
- Impact, weather, chemical, corrosion and fire resistant
- Easy to fabricate
- Reduced maintenance and downtime
- Sound dampening
- Low friction
- Design flexibility — variety of colors and decorative caps
- Easily manipulated into complex fabricated or thermoformed parts
Materials
- Acetal (POM)
- Acrylic (PMMA)
- Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)
- Epoxy
- High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
- Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)
- Nylon/Cast Nylon (PA)
- Phenolics (Industrial Thermosets)
- Polycarbonate (PC)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polyetherimide (PEI)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
- Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
- PVC/Acrylic Alloy
- Silicone (SI)
- Styrene Maleic Anhydride-Polycarbonate (SMA-PC)
- Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE)
- Thermoplastic Polyesters
- Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW-PE)
Sustainability Advantages of Performance Plastics
5x Longer
Railroad ties of 100% reinforced recycled plastic are as strong as hardwood but last up to 5x longer — 50+ years in heavy haul track — and resist rotting and insect damage. (~21M wood ties leave service yearly in the U.S.; 4M end up in landfills.)
Source: evertrak.com
25%
Plastic composite panels in Swiss trains led to a 25% reduction in weight, providing significant energy savings.
Source: bpf.co.uk
55%
Replacing steel and aluminum components on public transit buses with thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites typically yields a 55% weight savings.
Source: productiveplastics.com
Recycled Plastics in Rail Ballast
52,211 kg
CO₂ saved per km of track ballast
A carbon footprint analysis found using recycled plastics with recycled concrete and glass saved up to 52,211 kg CO₂ for 1 km of railway track ballast. | Source: plasticmachiningcompany.com
Lighter vehicles cut energy use, brake/tire wear and emissions — and recycled plastics are even paving the way in roads:
5 g / 2%
Less CO₂ per km & +2% fuel economy per 110 lb cut
10-15 Years
Lifespan of plastic-waste asphalt pavement
Source: productiveplastics.com / plasticstoday.com
iapd
the performance plastics association
Sustainability
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