Polystyrene (PS) plastic sheet is a versatile thermoplastic material produced by extruding or molding polystyrene resin into flat, thin sheets. Derived from styrene monomers, this material has secured a crucial position in numerous industries due to its outstanding cost-effectiveness, easy processability and diverse functional characteristics. It mainly has several common variants, each tailored to specific application scenarios.
There are four primary types of PS plastic sheets, each with distinct properties:
General Purpose Polystyrene (GPPS) Sheet: It is famous for its crystal-clear transparency, with a light transmittance of up to 89%, along with rigidity and light weight. However, its obvious drawback is brittleness and poor impact resistance, which limits its use in high-stress scenarios. It is often seen in the production of display trays, laboratory glassware and cosmetic packaging.
High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS) Sheet: Modified by adding rubber components, this type overcomes the brittleness of GPPS. It is usually opaque, features excellent toughness and impact resistance, and performs well in printing and bonding processes. It is widely applied to food containers, appliance housings, point-of-sale displays and automotive interior parts.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Sheet: Characterized by a foam-like porous structure, it is extremely lightweight and has excellent thermal insulation and shock-absorbing properties. It is a typical material for disposable food containers, protective packaging for fragile goods and thermal insulation layers in simple structures. Nevertheless, its bulkiness brings certain difficulties to storage and transportation.
Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Sheet: Made through an extrusion process, it has a dense closed-cell structure. Compared with EPS, it has stronger moisture resistance and structural stability. It is mainly used in construction fields, such as wall insulation boards, roof insulation materials and underfloor heating insulation layers.
