Thermosetting Polymers

Industry Overview:

The difference between thermoset plastics and thermoplastics is relationally somewhat like the difference between pasta and water. Pasta can be cooked through boiling, softening it for consumption. Once it has been cooked, though, it cannot be recooked in the same way – doing more than reheating it will just cause it to burn. This is like thermoset plastics, which cannot be remelted and reshaped after being set – re-exposing them to extreme heat will only cause them to burn. (Thermoplastics, however, are more like water. Just as water can be frozen and unfrozen indefinitely, thermoplastics can be remelted and reformed repeatedly without significant structural degradation.)

The enhanced strength and resistance thermoset polymers gain through crosslinking makes them idea for an array of long-term uses, including insulating foams, vulcanized water, protective coatings, and adhesives. The specific polymers determine the end characteristics, which can vary from high elasticity to strong firmness, but all thermoset polymers display a high heat and corrosion resistance and mechanical strength. Another advantage they offer is that they are more economical to produce than thermoplastics.

App Common Applications:

Resins – epoxy, polyester, etc.
Curing – heat, radiation, etc.
Viscosity
Oligomers – dimmers, trimers, tetramers, etc.
Molding – injection, extrusion, etc.
Cross-linking – covalent, ionic bonds
Deformation
Tensile Strength
Elongation, etc.
Crystallization

Solutions:

With almost 35 years as a top plastics industry recruitment agency, Ropella is well-versed in the challenges companies face in their search to find highly qualified professionals. As talent acquisition specialists, we excel at attracting, recruiting and building relationships with potential candidates. Our executive search consultants stay abreast of current industry trends making Ropella a knowledgeable, efficient and effective partner for recruiting top plastics talent.

A proven executive search firm, Ropella is dedicated to helping companies gain a competitive advantage by providing customized and strategic talent solutions. We leverage our industry expertise, proprietary smart search system and global network to deliver exceptional results quickly for even the most challenging searches. Successful industry leaders count on Ropella to find the right talent to drive their business forward.

Look for our articles in Plastics Engineering Magazine and other industry publications.

Thermosetting Polymers

The typical positions, roles and/or functions our search consultants serve include:

	Sales (such as; new business development, key account management, technical service, customer service, branch, district, region, national, global in scope).
	Marketing (such as market research, market analyst, consumer research, public relations, social media, communications, product management).
	Manufacturing (such as operations, production, engineering, plant design, process development, pilot plant, scale up).
	Research & Development (such as exploratory research, discovery research, synthesis, analytical, applications development, new product development, formulations, compounding, quality control, environmental, regulatory, health and safety).
	Administration (such as procurement, supply chain, logistics, human resources).
	Business Management (such as general management, executive, manager, director, vice president, c-suite and board member, commercial development, merger, acquisition, joint venture).
	Venture Capital / Private Equity (such as administration and finance, commercial development, executive level management, human resources, mfg., marketing, r&d, sales)

Our Involvement

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We have served and developed relationships with leading companies in the industry, including:

Industry Brochure

Download Thermosetting Polymers PDF Brochure