Hydrocarbons are chemicals made up of carbon and hydrogen, and are found in petroleum, coal and natural gas. I Glossary Index Impact strength is the ability of a material to handle a suddenly applied load. Industrial waste is scrap plastic that is not reused in the same industrial process. Industrial post-consumer waste is plastic that has been used in an industrial setting, such as cling wrap on pallets. Injection moulding is used to produce complex components, such as computer housings and automotive instrument panels.
Molten plastic is injected under pressure into a closed, split-cavity mould that is cooled.
Once the plastic melt solidifies, the mould opens and the component is removed. Intractable wastes are produced in a range of manufacturing processes, and require high temperature incineration for safe disposal. Isocyanates are derived from an oil by-product, benzene, and are mixed with polyols to make polyurethane. L Glossary Index Laminating is a way of processing plastics by sandwiching the resin between other materials, such as paper, cardboard, aluminium foil or fabric. Lightweighting is the reduction in recent years of the amount of resin used to make a plastic product.