Engineering material
Thermoplastic polymer
Also known as thermoplastic, thermoplastic resin
A polymer that softens when heated and hardens when cooled, repeatedly, without chemical curing — polypropylene, polyethylene, PEEK and others. Its high melt viscosity makes impregnating fibres harder than with a thermoset.
Classification
- material family
- POLYMER
- form
- BULK
How this record is known
- 2
- Settled consensus
- Cited as the accepted position of the discipline.
2 of 2 claims on this page cite at least one registered source. Counts describe how each statement is known, not how likely it is to be true.
What Lithoen records
Each claim states how it is known and cites its evidence.
EstablishedSoftens on heating and hardens on cooling, repeatedly, without curing.
A thermoplastic polymer softens when heated and hardens when cooled, repeatedly and without chemical curing, so it can be re-melted, moulded or extruded while soft and separated from fibres at lower temperatures than a thermoset, which allows both fibre and polymer to be recycled.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence · 2 sources, multiple sources, independence unknown
Evidence: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Flight Standards Service 2023 · Primary authority; U.S. Department of Energy 2015 · Primary authority
EstablishedHigh melt viscosity hinders impregnation of fibre tows.
The main barrier to thermoplastic matrices is their high melt viscosity: at processing temperatures the resin does not readily impregnate fibre preforms and tows, raising porosity, and heating it enough to lower the viscosity sufficiently risks degrading the resin.
Evidence support: Supported by the cited evidence · one source
Evidence: U.S. Department of Energy 2015 · Primary authority
Record last updated 2026-10-30. Corrections follow the published corrections policy; superseded claims are retained, never silently edited.