Vinyl's particular qualities, offering low maintenance and high durability, make it suitable for the construction sector; Vinyl pipes, cables, window frames and floors. Vinyl is extremely versatile; it can be made tough and rigid, or soft and flexible. It can be coloured, transparent or opaque, and can be used as either a conductor or an insulator. Vinyl is the only plastic that can be compounded across such a wide hardness range. Vinyl is replacing traditional building materials such as wood, concrete and clay in many applications. Some general benefits of Vinyl include:
- Durability and Strength
- Cost Efficiency
- Flame Resistance Properties
- Electrical Insulation Properties
- Resistance to Grease, Oil and Chemicals
- Excellent weatherability
- Ease of Processing/Blending
- Ease of Installation
- Chemically Stable
- Less Dependent on Non-renewable “Natural Resources” such as Crude Oil or Natural Gas
In the medical sector, Vinyl is used for the manufacture of IV sets, blood bags, nose masks, gloves, tubes, and is the only specified material for many of these life saving products. Vinyl was introduced into flexible tubing and containers as a replacement for natural rubber and glass. It began to dominate the market when the need for single use pre-sterilised components became recognised.
In medical devices, Vinyl is widely used because of its:
- Safety
- Chemical stability
- Biocompatibility
- Clarity and transparency
- Flexibility, durability and dependability
- Sterilizability
- Compatibility
- Resistance to chemical stress cracking
- Low cost
Vinyl makes a major contribution to the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of modern road vehicles, as well as reducing their impact on the environment. In automotive applications it is the second most important polymer (after polyethylene). The major reasons for use of Vinyl in automotive applications are:
- Makes vehicles last longer
- Conserves fossil fuels
- Helps save lives
- Increases design freedom
- Makes vehicles more affordable
- Recyclable
Vinyl plays an important, positive role in providing affordable children's toys.
Vinyl is an appropriate material to use in the manufacture of toys because:
- It is tough and durable.
- It is non-toxic.
- In its lifecycle it has been found to have a more favourable eco-balance than competitive materials in many applications.
- Vinyl has relatively low energy demand in manufacture, which gives environmental benefits compared with some alternative materials.
- It is a very versatile material and formulations can be adjusted to give the exact performance and quality requirements for each type of toy.
- It is cost-competitive, allowing good quality, reasonably priced toys to be manufactured.
- It is suitable for toys that need to be mass-produced to meet new trends, such as merchandise launched in tandem with children's films.