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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Do you recycle?

Yes, we recycle our waste (rejects and sprues) to be re-used to manufacture other products.

 

  1. Are your products BPA free?

BPA stands for bisphenol A. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1960s.

BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. They may also be used in other consumer goods.

Spicoly Plastics mainly use Polypropylene to manufacture our products, therefore all our products are BPA free and safe to use.

  1. What is injection moulding

After a product is designed, usually by an industrial designer or an engineer, moulds are made by a mould-maker (or toolmaker) from metal, usually either steel or aluminium, and precision-machined to form the features of the desired part. Injection moulding is widely used for manufacturing a variety of parts, from the smallest components to entire body panels of cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Material for the part is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mould cavity, where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity.

4. What is plastic made of?

There are chains in plastic called polymers. This is why many plastics begin with “poly,” such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and polypropylene.
Polymers often are made of carbon and hydrogen and sometimes oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, chlorine, fluorine, phosphorous, or silicon.
Pellets or nurdles as they are often called, are pre-production plastic resin pellets. Essentially raw plastic or raw material
before it has been made into an end use item such as a plastic bag, bottle or toy

  

 

  1. What does the symbol at the bottom of plastic products mean?

THE PLASTIC IDENTIFICATION CODE
Symbol Type of Plastic Properties Common Uses Recycled into
 

 PET

Polyethylene Terephthalate

 Clear, tough solvent, resistant barrier to gas and moisture.  Softens at 80⁰C Soft drink and water bottles, salad domes, biscuit trays, salad dressing and containers Pillow and sleeping bag filling, clothing, soft drink bottles, carpeting, building insulation
 

 HDPE

High Density Polyethylene

 Hard to semi-flexible, resistant to chemicals and moisture, waxy surface, opaque, softens at 75⁰C Easily coloured, processed and formed Shopping bags, freezer bags, milk bottles, ice-cream containers, shampoo, chemical and detergent bottles Recycling bins, compost bins, buckets, detergent containers, posts, fencing, piper, plastic timber
 

 PVC

Polyvinyl Chloride

 

 Strong, tough, can be clear, can be solvent welded and softens at 80⁰C Cosmetic containers, electrical conduit, plumbing pipes and fittings, blister packs, wall cladding, roof sheeting, bottles Flooring, film and sheets, cables, speed bumps, packaging, binders, mud flaps and mats, new gumboots and shoes
 

 LDPE

Low Density Polyethylene

 Soft, flexible, waxy surface.  Translucent, softens at 70⁰C. Scratches easily Cling wrap, garbage bags, squeeze bottles, irrigation tubing, mulch film, refuse bags Bin liners, pallet sheets
 

 PP

Polypropylene

 Hard but still flexible, waxy surface, softens at 140⁰C, translucent, withstands solvents, versatile Bottles and ice-cream tubs, potato chip bags, straws, microwave dishes, kettles, garden furniture, lunch boxes, packaging tape Pegs, bins, pipes, pellet sheets, oil funnels, car battery cases, trays
 

 PS

Polystyrene

PS-E

Expanded polystyrene

 Clear, glassy, rigid, opaque, semi-tough, softens at 95⁰C.  Affected by fat, acids and solvents, but resistant to alkalis and salt solutions.  Low water absorption.  Odour and taste free CD cases, plastic cutlery, imitation glassware, low cost brittle toys, video cases

Foamed polystyrene cups, takeaway clamshells, meat trays,

 Coat hangers, coasters, stationery trays and accessories, picture frames, seed trays, building products
 

 OTHER PACKAGING

In packaging it could be multi-layer materials e.g. PE + PP

 Includes all resins and multi materials (e.g. laminates).  Properties dependent on plastic or combination of plastics Automotive and appliance components, computers, electronics, cooler bottles, packaging Plastic timber, sleepers – looks lie wood and used for beach walkways, benches, etc.