Plastic Hardware
Plastic hardware components are functional parts made primarily of plastics (such as engineering plastics like polyamide, polypropylene, and polycarbonate) combined with metal or non-metal fittings. They cover a wide range of applications, including structural connectors, pipe fittings, decorative accessories, and specialized components. They are mainly used in construction and home furnishings, as well as in industry and equipment.
1. Lightweight and Cost Advantages
Lightweight: Plastics have a much lower density than metals, significantly reducing the overall weight of products and facilitating transportation and installation.
Low Cost: While the unit price of raw materials may be higher than that of metals, higher processing efficiency and less waste result in lower overall costs. For example, the production efficiency of plastic furniture accessories is more than 30% higher than that of metal parts.
2. Corrosion Resistance and Environmental Friendliness
Chemical Corrosion Resistance: Plastics are highly resistant to acids, alkalis, salt spray, and other environmental conditions, making them suitable for humid or chemical environments.
Environmentally Friendly Materials: The industry is gradually adopting environmentally friendly materials such as bio-based plastics and recycled polypropylene (rPP), complying with international standards such as RoHS and REACH. For example, some companies have achieved an environmentally friendly material application rate of 19.6%.
3. Design Flexibility and Functionality
Complex Shape Molding: Plastics can be injection molded into complex structures in one piece to meet personalized needs. For example, irregularly shaped door and window hinges, multi-functional connectors, etc.
Diverse Surface Treatments: Supports electroplating, spraying, texturing, and other processes to achieve metallic textures or colorful appearances, enhancing decorative appeal.
4. Performance Optimization and Innovation
High-strength Materials: Engineering plastics such as polyamide (PA) and polyoxymethylene (POM) possess high-temperature resistance and wear resistance, and can replace some metal functional components.
Intelligent Integration: Some plastic hardware components embed sensors or conductive materials to achieve intelligent control, such as automatic sensor door locks.
