Nonmetallic Recycling Concerns

By ASTM estimates, there are nearly 170 different varieties of plastic raw materials.

The combination of several plastic resins in a single product and the introduction of plastic composites, to approach the strength of cast metal, have caused still further recycling problems. By comparison, a combination of several aluminum alloys made from different processes can be directly recycled.

Unlike recycled metals, the effects of temperature, time and the environment can degrade the potential performance of a recycled engineering thermoplastic, aside from the obvious effect on the aesthetics of the final product molded from recycled material.

As an alternative to injection-molded thermoplastics, recyclable die cast metals offer the product designer the opportunity to respecify products as precision die castings, often with newly realized cost savings plus added strength and performance advantages.