Thermosetting Plastic

A material formed by heating, catalyzing or mixing 2 parts to trigger a 1 way polymeric reaction. Unlike most thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics form cross-links between the polymer chains, which cannot be undone, and so this material cannot be reshaped or remolded once cured. Thermosetting plastics tend to have superior resistance to fatigue and chemical attack than thermoplastic.

Thermosetting plastics (thermosets) are polymer materials that irreversibly cure. The cure may be done through heat (generally above 200 degrees Celsius), through a chemical reaction (two-part epoxy, for example), or irradiation such as electron beam processing.

Thermoset materials are usually liquid or malleable prior to curing and designed to be molded into their final form, or used as adhesives. Others are solids like that of the molding compound used in semiconductors and integrated circuits (IC's).

Process

The curing process transforms the resin into a plastic or rubber by a cross-linking process. Energy and/or catalysts are added that cause the molecular chains to react at chemically active sites (unsaturated or epoxy sites, for example), linking into a rigid, 3-D structure. The cross-linking process forms a molecule with a larger molecular weight, resulting in a material with a higher melting point. During the reaction, the molecular weight has increased to a point so that the melting point is higher than the surrounding ambient temperature, the material forms into a solid material.

Uncontrolled reheating of the material results in reaching the decomposition temperature before the melting point is obtained. Therefore, a thermoset material cannot be melted and re-shaped after it is cured. This implies that thermosets cannot be recycled, except as filler material.