Home Capabilities Plastic Materials and Engineering Resins
BUYER-ORIENTED MATERIAL SELECTION MATRIX
Plastic Materials and Engineering Resins
Material selection for injection molding is a grade-specific engineering decision. A polymer family suggests a starting behavior, but final performance and process requirements depend on the manufacturer, grade, fillers, colorants, additives, moisture condition and service environment.
This page is a decision matrix rather than a collection of thin material pages. Use it to identify questions for DFM and quotation, then validate properties against the resin producer’s current technical data sheet and the customer’s product requirements.
- Application fit, shrinkage and drying discussed together
- Wear, corrosion, finish and color affect tooling
- Supplier TDS remains the authority for grade data
Family ≠ Grade
Producer and exact grade control final data
Drying
Moisture-sensitive resins need defined handling
Tool Impact
Wear, corrosion, temperature and finish matter
Validate
Use current supplier TDS and project testing
Reviewed by CKMOLD project engineering • Last updated August 2026
SELECTION BASIS
Choose From the Application Back to the Polymer
Functional Requirements
- Stiffness, impact and fatigue
- Heat, chemical, UV and moisture exposure
- Friction, wear and dimensional stability
- Transparency, color, texture and appearance
- Electrical, flammability or product-specific compliance
Manufacturing Requirements
- Shrinkage and anisotropy
- Drying and material residence
- Flow length, walls, gates and venting
- Mold temperature, steel wear or corrosion
- Colorant, regrind, certificates and lot control
MATERIAL MATRIX — GENERAL PURPOSE
Commodity and Common Engineering Plastics
The summaries support purchasing discussion; they are not numeric design data. Confirm each selected grade with the current producer technical data sheet.
ABS
Balanced toughness, stiffness and surface quality for enclosures and commercial components. Typical risks include sink at thick features, weld appearance, stress or chemical sensitivity. Drying and finish requirements depend on grade.
- Shrinkage: generally manageable but geometry-dependent
- Tooling: good venting and polish/texture control
- Color: broad options; physical standard recommended
PP
Low density, chemical resistance and living-hinge potential suit containers, covers and flexible features. Shrinkage and warpage can be significant, especially with uneven walls or orientation.
- Moisture: usually less sensitive than many engineering resins
- Tooling: cooling balance and ejection are important
- Surface: low surface energy affects printing/adhesion
PE / HDPE
Tough, chemically resistant material used for containers and durable components. High shrinkage, stiffness variation and distortion must be addressed through geometry, cooling and grade selection.
- Application: impact and environmental resistance
- Tooling: shrink and warpage allowance
- Finish: lower surface energy affects bonding and printing
PC
High impact strength and transparency are available in suitable grades, but moisture, residual stress, chemical exposure and optical/cosmetic expectations require controlled drying and processing.
- Drying: critical for many grades
- Tooling: polish, venting and thermal control
- Risk: stress cracking and visible flow/air defects
PC+ABS
Combines features of PC and ABS for housings and engineered components. Grade ratios, flammability, impact and appearance vary; do not treat the blend name as one material.
- Drying: follow grade TDS
- Shrinkage: confirm supplier data and geometry
- Finish: color and texture often project-critical
PMMA
Optical clarity, gloss and weathering can suit lenses, light guides and transparent covers. Brittleness, stress, scratches, drying and surface protection demand careful part and mold design.
- Drying: important for optical quality
- Tooling: high polish and clean handling
- Risk: flow marks, bubbles, cracking and weld visibility
PET / PBT
Polyester grades support electrical, appliance and engineered applications. Drying, crystallization, glass reinforcement and mold temperature strongly influence process and dimensions.
- Moisture: strict drying for many grades
- Tooling: hot mold and wear considerations by grade
- Risk: hydrolysis, warp and glass-fiber anisotropy
MATERIAL MATRIX — NYLON, ACETAL AND ELASTOMERS
Materials With Moisture, Friction or Bonding Questions
PA6 / PA66
Nylon offers strength, wear resistance and temperature capability, but absorbs moisture after molding. Conditioning state changes dimensions and mechanical behavior, so drawing and test requirements must define it.
- Drying: critical
- Shrinkage: grade and fiber orientation sensitive
- Risk: moisture-conditioned dimension and warp
Glass-Filled Nylon
Glass reinforcement increases stiffness and reduces some shrink but creates anisotropy, abrasive wear and visible fiber/flow effects. Gates, flow direction, steel and replaceable wear areas deserve added review.
- Tooling: hardened/wear-resistant strategy by project
- Surface: fiber read-through may be visible
- Risk: warp from orientation and uneven geometry
POM
Low friction, wear resistance and dimensional behavior suit gears, clips and mechanisms. Processing requires disciplined temperature/residence and safe venting; incompatible material contamination must be avoided.
- Moisture: less dominant than nylon but follow TDS
- Tooling: venting, gate and shrink control
- Risk: odor/decomposition from poor process control
TPU / TPE
Flexible materials support grips, seals, protective features and overmolds. Hardness, chemistry and adhesion differ widely; the exact substrate/overmold grades and service test must be selected together.
- Drying: required for many TPU grades
- Bonding: supplier compatibility plus trial
- Tooling: shutoff, venting, draft and demolding
HIGH-PERFORMANCE RESINS
PPS, PEEK and PFA Require Grade-Level Process and Tool Review
High-temperature or fluoropolymer families can impose demanding melt/mold temperatures, corrosion, venting, shrinkage, wear and material-handling requirements. CKMOLD does not accept a project from the family name alone; the exact grade, supplier data, part geometry, tool design and available machine configuration must be reviewed.
PEEK may suit severe mechanical, temperature or chemical environments; PPS can provide dimensional and chemical performance in reinforced grades; PFA supports specific chemical and high-purity applications. Suitability and process capability are verified case by case and never inferred from a generic website list.
- Exact manufacturer/grade and current TDS
- Melt/mold temperature and residence limits
- Corrosion, wear, venting and hot-runner compatibility
- Material availability, color and qualification plan
HIGH-PERFORMANCE MATERIAL DECISIONS
Grade Families Requiring Explicit Capability Confirmation
PPS
Often reinforced for heat, chemical and dimensional performance. High mold temperature, venting, brittleness and tool wear require project review.
PEEK
High-performance grades can demand elevated processing temperatures, controlled residence, suitable machine components and tool temperature.
PFA
Fluoropolymer processing, corrosion, temperature, melt behavior and application purity must be reviewed against the exact grade and equipment.
Other Verified Resins
LCP, PEI, PPSU or other materials are evaluated only after the supplier grade, TDS, geometry, tooling and available processing capability are confirmed.
MATERIAL APPROVAL
Move From Family Selection to a Production-Approved Grade
01
Define Service
Temperature, chemical, UV, load, impact, friction, appearance, life and regulatory needs.
02
Shortlist Grades
Use current producer TDS, approved supplier constraints and availability to identify candidates.
03
Review Moldability
Check walls, flow, shrinkage, draft, gates, venting, drying, tool temperature, wear and corrosion.
04
Prototype / Trial
Produce the samples or test geometry needed to evaluate the actual grade and process-dependent behavior.
05
Release and Control
Approve supplier/grade, colorant, certificate/lot needs, regrind policy and substitution route.
Plastic Material Selection Questions
Only at a preliminary level. Reliable selection needs application, environment, load, temperature, chemical/UV exposure, appearance, life, compliance, quantities and geometry. Final data comes from the selected producer grade and project validation.
Moisture can degrade many resins or create splay, bubbles, property loss and dimensional problems. Drying temperature, time and dew point follow the exact grade’s technical guidance and material handling history.
A substitution can change shrinkage, color, flow, strength, flame rating, chemical behavior and processing. It should be treated as an engineering change with supplier data, trial and customer approval as required.
Reinforced resins can increase wear and create orientation-dependent shrinkage, warp and surface appearance. Gate, flow, steel, venting, replaceable inserts and cavity balance need added review.
No generic values are presented as design authority. Use the resin producer’s current TDS and safety documentation; CKMOLD reviews the grade against available equipment, tool design and project validation needs.
Send the Application and Grade—or the Requirements the Grade Must Meet
Include CAD, service environment, resin supplier/grade if selected, color, first and annual quantities, surface requirements, critical dimensions and any compliance or test need.