PVC, which stands for Polyvinyl chloride, is the most widely used plastic in the world, second only to Polyethylene or PE. Its physical and manufacturing properties make it ideal for all kinds of uses and utilities, from flooring to water bottles to car parts.
At Plastic Express we work with a wide variety of plastic articles, including bespoke PVC products, made from PVC sheets or PVC film, among others. We use state-of-the-art machinery to ensure the best finishes in all our work, whether it is for large production runs or small orders.
Among polymer materials we can find a huge variety of types, which differ greatly in their properties and uses. PVC is just one of these polymers, but even within PVC there are different types, among which two are widely used commercially: Foamed PVC and compact PVC.
Compact PVC is almost always made from sheets of a wide variety of sizes and thicknesses. It is a very useful material for both indoors and outdoors, as its great properties provide a wide range of possibilities.
It is resistant to the elements, fireproof and self-extinguishing, as well as being an excellent electrical insulator. These properties make it a great material to use in construction, as it is very safe and a good way to insulate. It is also resistant to a wide variety of chemicals and acids and, as if that were not enough, its medical properties are also first class, making it strong and durable.
Foamed PVC shares many of the advantages of compact PVC, providing high atmospheric and thermal insulation, as well as being highly resistant to chemical and mechanical attack.
Its main difference with compact PVC lies in its lighter weight, as it is a thermoplastic that has been foamed with CO2 to improve its insulating capacity while reducing its weight by approximately half.
In addition to its use as an insulator in construction, it is also used in more artistic areas such as stage design, as it is very easy to paint or prime with all kinds of colours and patterns, unlike compact PVC, which is much less versatile in this respect.
Finally, there is also transparent PVC, also called PVC acetate. It is a thick, highly flexible material, mainly composed of resins and plasticisers. The mixture, originally in the form of granules, is then processed into strips or sheets, which are more suitable for handling.
PVC acetate has a very glossy finish, is light and highly flexible, but at the same time has a high mechanical resistance to knocks or tears. The surface of its sheets is completely smooth, making it very suitable for all types of DIY work.
It is a very effective thermal and acoustic insulator, as well as a waterproof and water-repellent material, which also resists without problems the long exposure to UV rays suffered outdoors. Finally, it is particularly easy to maintain and clean, which makes it even more suitable for environments where high standards of hygiene must be maintained.
Like other PVCs, it is also an economical and recyclable material, as well as being 100% safe, with a multitude of comprehensive studies backing up this last point.
As mentioned above, PVC’s current applications are incredibly numerous, spanning a huge number of industries.
One of its most widespread uses is for industrial plumbing and piping, as its high resistance to corrosion means that it does not leak and it breaks much less than metal pipes. In addition, they accumulate much less energy in the form of heat, so they greatly improve the energy efficiency of pipelines.
Another widespread general use is that of PVC windows, which, in addition to offering great durability, offer 3 times more thermal insulation than aluminium windows.
Rigid PVC is a material widely used in the manufacture of electrical and electronic components, in industrial machinery of all kinds, in industrial furniture and water treatment parts, as well as in cable trays. These uses benefit from the fact that it is a harmless material and a great thermal and electrical insulator.
As for foamed PVC, it is used more in interiors and decoration, being very useful as an acoustic and thermal insulator used in furniture, partitions, space dividers and even light partitions. It is not far behind in the field of visual communication either, where it is widely used for screen printing, signage, signage and digital printing, given the ease with which it can be used in all these design treatments.
With both foamed PVC and rigid PVC we work with CNC machining, bending, gluing and printing techniques, and it is also possible to carry out thermoforming and deep-drawing processes with rigid PVC, given its specific properties. The possibilities are enormous and can be adapted to practically any project, allowing quality work to be carried out at a lower cost than with other materials.
If you need to contact us to order your custom made foamed PVC or rigid PVC, we offer you customer service that can help you select the best material for your projects and the type of handling you need for it.
All you need to do is fill in our forms and include all the details of your project, enclosing measurements and any considerations to take into account, indicating the material in the subject line. We will get back to you as soon as possible with a tailor-made quotation.
We also have quotation forms for both individuals and professionals for orders over 10 units, the latter with special discounts.
Finally, you can contact us by phone or come in person to our office in Barcelona, to discuss personally all the details of what you need.
+34 674 66 71 99
