Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), accounting for about 6% of total production, is one of the most important thermoplastics. Originally used mainly for fiber production, today about a quarter of the amount produced is used for packaging and semi-finished products. Nowadays, PET fibers are also made from recycled PET bottles, with most used PET bottles being recycled into polyester fibers for fleece fabrics. There are two main variants of PET:

• Arystalline PET (PET-C)
• Amorphous PET (PET-A)

Another copolymer, PET-G, modified with glycol, has better properties in the molten state and is therefore ideal for producing small bottles as well as for 3D printing. The crystallinity of PET can be reduced by incorporating bulky comonomers such as isophthalic acid, enabling the production of transparent molded parts. Polyesters like PET can be processed by various methods such as injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, and film blowing. Amorphous PET sheets are produced by thermoforming. The versatile plastic PET is suitable for a wide range of applications in various industries.