| MadSci Network: Other |
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I am curious to know of a method of melting plastics (PETE,HDPE,PP)
without them producing a nasty black smoke and resulting in something
that that isnt like the material started with. I tried using a propane
torch and an old cooking pan, heating the plastic directly & from
underneath the pan, both results are similar. any suggestions or comments
would be greatly apperciated! P.S. I would idealy like to melt the plastic into small squares When you melt plastic, you must often raise the temperature above the point at which the plastic begins to char in the presence of air. Some but not all plastics will melt before they char, but without more information I don't know whether that's true of the one(s) you are using. To keep the plastic from charring, you need to either control your temperature more carefully or find some way to blanket the plastic with a gas that won't support combustion. Both methods are used in industry. One other method that's used in industry is to add just enough solvent to the plastic that it will melt at a lower temperature... but then the problem is to get the solvent back out.
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