PVC

PVC

PVC is a plastic and is the abbreviation of polyvinylchloride. One of the most widely used compounds in the world, it has innumerable uses.

It is a synthetic compound with two major substrates known as thermoplastic resins and thermosetting resins.  Thermosetting resin is hardened heat application and does not become ductile after it is produced. Conversely, Thermoplastic resins can be softened into pliable forms such as polythene and PVC. Vinyl is PVC’s preferred name, which has become a umbrella term for flexible plastic-based material.  

Through a process called polymerization, which is the linking on molecules known as monomers, PVC is produced. It is an extremely versatile material and can be synthesized in various rigours and shades.  In light of its immense durability, PVC is used in numerous industries – these include automotive, building and printing trades.

These products are super value for money as they do not corrode, maintaining their original form, despite exposure to the harshest environmental elements. 

The history of PVC

PVC is one of the oldest synthetic materials with the longest history in industrial production. Its early history is of multiple and accidental discovery in different places at different times as well as unsuccessful quests for commercial application.

Early researchers accidentally discovered PVC on at least two occasions in the 19th century. The first, in 1838, was by the French physicist and chemist Henri Victor Regnault and the second in 1872 by the German Eugen Baumann. On both occasions, the polymer appeared as a white solid inside flasks of the newly discovered vinyl chloride gas that had been left exposed to sunlight. The material was difficult to work with and no one mastered the challenge of commercial applications.

In 1913, German inventor Friedrich Heinrich August Klatte took out a patent on PVC. His method used polymerization of vinyl chloride with sunlight. courtesy http://www.pvc.org/en/p/history