PubLISHED
2022
CategoRY
Materials / Polyvinyl

POLYVINYL (PVC)

Its scientific name is Polyvinyl Chloride but it is known to everyone as PVC; made from natural raw materials, it is the most used thermoplastic product in the world.

PVC is, as a matter of fact, an ecological material of mostly natural origin and, therefore, environment-friendly. 

Its components do not come from raw materials with limited availability, nor from non-renewable sources. 

Furthermore, it is a recyclable material and, fortunately, widely and concretely recycled. 

It is an excellent and important resource as it reduces pollution, both in terms of energy needed for its production and in terms of high thermal insulation; for example, PVC-made window frames allow energy saving and lower consumption of heating and air conditioning. 

PVC plastics, as defined by the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) are “polymeric materials that may contain other substances aimed at improving their properties or reducing costs „. 

In general, the main feature of this plastic material is its versatile use. 

When it is pure, PVC is a rigid material, however, its versatility and its extensive use is given by the possibility of being mixed, even in high proportions, with inorganic compounds and plasticizing products, which make it flexible and moldable

Depending on the intended use of the PVC product, the production process can confer specific mechanical properties and resistance to abrasion, wear and aging, chemicals agents and to the attack of fungi and bacteria. 

Furthermore, PVC is a light, water-repellent material, hardly flammable and also self-extinguishing.

This material has many applications in various sectors such as electrical and/or electronic, packaging, medicine, automotive, but above all, in construction, as the products must comply with the highest standards in terms of resistance, stability, impermeability, surface perfection, ease of use and long-lasting maintenance. 

Its production and product sustainability, as well as the capability of innovation in terms of technology and performance, make PVC a material that is always new and up to the needs of the present, of society and of the world.