About Polyethylene (PE)

 

What is Polyethylene (PE)?
Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer (a plastic material, that becomes pliable or moldable above a specific temperature and solidifies upon cooling) with variable crystalline structure.

Polyethylene is commonly categorized into one of several major compounds of which the most common include LDPE, LLDPE and HDPE.

• Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a very flexible material suitable for making things like plastic grocery bags.

• Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) is very similar to LDPE with the added advantage that it typically requires less energy to produce than LDPE.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a stiffer plastic used in milk containers, laundry detergent bottles and cutting boards.

Low Density Polyethylene most commonly available in white and High Density in white and black with a transition temperature, from a hard into a viscous or rubbery state of 110° C / 230° F for LDPE and 130° C / 266° F for HDPE.

Why is PE used so often
PE has an extremely large range of applications depending on the particular type.  PE can be processed into soft and flexible as well as into tough, hard and strong products.  LDPE is widely used in plastic packaging, HDPE in construction (i.e. drain pipes).

What is PE Used For?
PE is used in everyday appliances, packaging, pipes and toys, cling-wrap, squeeze bottle and garbage bags.

What does Hi-Tech Profiles use PE for?
Although we do not stock PE products, we do issue custom quotes for tubes and profiles in various other lengths and sizes.  We can also produce Sheet and Strip products in PE.