Practice Project: Chairs

High Impact Polystyrene & Polypropylene Revision

High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS)

Type: Thermoplastic

Advantages: Tougher than polystyrene, cheap to produce, and easy to process. Insulates, Matte finish.

Disadvantages: Minimal electrical properties,  low transparency, absorbs more moisture.

Applications: Mainly used in  household appliances such as trays, models, and calculators.

Notes:

• HIPS is perfect for demanding end-use applications in the food, dairy, and medical packaging industries. The properties ensures compliance with strict food and medical regulations.

• HIPS sheets are especially suitable for thermoforming, die cutting, and vacuum forming applications and is a very easy material to work with.

• No known microorganism can biodegrade HIPS, and it is often abundant as a form of pollution in the environment, particularly along shores and bodies of water.

• HIPS is perfect for demanding end-use applications in the food, dairy, and medical packaging industries. The properties ensures compliance with strict food and medical regulations

• HIPS sheets are especially suitable for thermoforming, die cutting, and vacuum forming applications and is a very easy material to work with.

• No known microorganism can biodegrade HIPS, and it is often abundant as a form of pollution in the environment, particularly along shores and bodies of water.

Polypropylene (PP)

Type: Thermoplastic

Advantages: Hard wearing material.  High heat resistance.  Hydrophilic material.

Disadvantages: Degrades from heat, UV radiation, and Oxidation.

Applications: Textiles e.g., ropes, and thermal clothing, loudspeakers, and stationery.

Notes:

• Polypropylene is a type of fibre. It can be used as a plastic or fabric. As a plastic it is opaque and brightly coloured; sometimes it is very tough but can also be very weak as well. It is usually formed into a thin thread that is woven into a strap that can be found on backpacks, bags, and other things.

• Like most plastics, polypropylene has virtually endless uses, and its development has not slowed since its discovery. Whether used for industrial molds, rugged currency, car parts, or Tupperware, polypropylene is one of a handful of materials the world is literally built around.

• Polypropylene is a colorless, translucent to transparent solid with a glossy surface. Polypropylene does not present any risk to the skin. The polymer should not be exposed to flames as it gives off smoke on burning.

• Injection molding is the largest PP market but it can also be made into fibres, film and sheet and extruded into pipe and conduit. Polypropylene and its alloys have become the plastic of choice in the automobile industry.

The product I should never have purchased!

Last year, I decided that I wanted to learn a new instrument, and I immediately knew what I wanted to try: The electric guitar. At the time, I was new to the world of instruments, and had done pretty much no research into brand, type, or models. After about ten minutes of thought on the subject, I went to Amazon.co.uk and ordered the cheapest and highest rated guitar based on customer reviews which was the: Encore EBP-LC3T left handed guitar for £100. As the name implies, I am indeed left handed. This has proved a problem in the past where I had elected to purchase something only to find that it was suitable for right handed individuals and not lefties. Unfortunately for me, there are only a handful of companies that make left handed versions of their guitars which dramatically reduced my options. So, as this was the only left handed guitar under £150, I paid without hesitation. When it finally arrived two days later, I tore it out of it's packaging with high hopes; anticipating something amazing. I took an hour setting it up and playing around with it, Tuning it to drop D, and playing some power chords. It was perfect. aesthetically pleasing, sleek, and shiny.

However, a few days later when I attempted to learn songs, the guitars many flaws became apparent. The neck was not at the correct angle for play, and the strings were all set too high, preventing proper use of the instrument. I took it to a specialized guitar shop and paid for it to be properly set up, which still, did not make it anywhere near 'good'. It doesn't stay in tune, it came with a cheap amplifier and cable which broke within weeks, and the strap pins fell out, remedied by applying a good amount of glue into the holes before reinserting the screws. The travel bag was cheaply made and the fabric that connected the straps to the bag itself tore, rendering the bag completely useless. The guitar also has a horrible fret buzz issue where the string slaps against some of the frets causing a horrible 'buzz' when playing, not to mention a warped neck.

In conclusion, this guitar was an awful purchase. It looks a lot better than it performs, and is more of a 'cool' thing to have, rather than a practical instrument to learn with. Looking back I wish that I had saved my money and purchased an Ibanez RG370DXL guitar for £350 which would have been a lot more impressive, better looking, more fun to play, and a more dynamic instrument all in all. We all make mistakes, and mine was purchasing this shocking clone of the iconic fender stratocaster before doing market research.

This is the product I should never have purchased.

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