What a Plastic/Rubber MDS Should Include

Heidi M. Wittenborn

I just want to say one word to you. Just one word…

Plastics.

• The Graduate was 1967 – Plastics were the new wonder materials

• Today plastics are ubiquitous and found in everything from food packaging to …

Know Your Polymer Classifications

• When creating or examining the MDS for a polymer based part check the material classification first

– Is it appropriate?

• Example: O-ring component is most likely to be an elastomer given the usual functional requirements of an o-ring

• Example: Molded hard plastic component is most likely a thermoplastic, filled or unfilled

• Recommendation 001A can help you determine the correct classification

Classifications

• 5 Polymer Materials

– 5.1 Thermoplastics

• 5.1.A Filled Thermoplastics

• 5.1.B Unfilled Thermoplastics

– 5.2 Thermoplastic Elastomers

– 5.3 Elastomers/Elastomeric Compounds

– 5.4 Duromers

• 5.4.1 Polyurethane

• 5.4.2 Unsaturated Polyester

• 5.4.3 Other Duromers

Classifications

• 5 Polymer Materials (cont’d)

– 5.5 Polymeric Compounds

• 5.5.1 Plastics (In Polymeric Compounds)

• 5.5.2 Textiles (In Polymeric Compounds)

Classifications

• 6. Process Polymers

– 6.1 Lacquers

– 6.2 Adhesives, Sealants

– 6.3 Underseal

Classification 5.5.1

• 5.5.1 Plastics (in polymeric compounds)

– Often used as a catch all even though it should not be

– More common in older MDSs

– Recommended that this classification not be used as there is almost always a more accurate classification available

Classification 5.5.2

• 5.5.2 Textiles (in polymeric compounds)

– Sometimes used when nothing else seems to quite fit

– This is the type of material that it should be used for – rayon fibers caught in a PET matrix

Polymer Basics

• Should contain more than one substance

– A pure polymer is extremely rare and rarely used in automotive applications

• Additives modify polymer performance / appearance

– Fire resistance, Impact resistance, Flexibility, Elasticity, Color, UV resistance, etc.

Polymer Basics

• Not uncommon to have a polymer material made of sub-materials

– Example: Polymer sub-material + color master batch sub-material*

* Color master batches are sometimes classified as 7.3 because they contain so

little polymer that IMDS generates warnings if they are classified as polymers.

Remember – the 10% maximum rule for confidential + highly confidential doesn’t apply at the sub-material level

Polymer Symbol as a Guide to Substances

• IMDS Recommendation 001 Rule 4.4.2.C.

…if the nomenclature for materials of a certain type is described in a public standard (example: ISO 1043-1 and 2 for plastics, ISO 1629 for elastomers or ISO 18064 for thermoplastic elastomers), then the material name according to this public standard must be entered…

• The symbol is the name for a polymer material

– Reject polymer materials in classifications 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 if the symbol is not used as the name

– Can include additional information in () after the symbol name

Polymer Symbol as a Guide to Substances

• Building the symbol will help you be aware of what substances should be present or might be missing in a supplier submission

Symbol Complete

List base polymers

PP

Fillers added? Add

filler symbols

No

Yes

-GF30

Plasticizers added?

Add plasticizer symbols

No

Yes

-P(ELO)

Add flame retardant symbols

Flame retardants

added?

Yes

No

FR(52)

Symbol Construction – the Base Polymer(s)

• Base polymers

– Blends are listed in order from highest to lowest percentage with a plus sign between the symbols

• PC+PBT

– Laminates that cannot be easily separated are listed with the primarily visible polymer first followed by the others separated by commas

• PVC,PUR,ABS

– Up to four letters can be added to indicate modifications to the polymer using a hyphen

• PE-HD (for high density) PP

Symbol Construction – the Additives

• Fillers

– Indicated by “–” followed by the symbol for the filler

– 1st letter is the type of filler

– 2nd letter is the form of the filler

– Number is the percentage of the filler

• PP-MD30 for Polypropylene containing 30% by mass of mineral powder

– Multiple fillers are separated by a plus sign

• PP-(GF25+MD15)

PP -GF30

Symbol Construction – the Additives

• Plasticizers

– Indicated by “–P”

– Specific plasticizer symbol in () after the -P

• PVC-P(ELO) for PVC containing Epoxidized Lineseed Oil as plasticizer

• For multiple plasticizers list them with a “+” sign in between

PP -GF30 -P(ELO)

Symbol Construction – the Additives

• Flame Retardants

– Indicated by FR

– Specific flame retardant number in () after the FR

• PP-FR(52) for Polypropylene with red phosphorus as a flame retardant

• For multiple flame retardants list them with a “+” sign in between

PP -GF30 -P(ELO) FR(52)

The Symbol vs. The Substances Listed

• 17 - aromatic brominated compounds (excluding brominated diphenyl ether and biphenyls) in combination with antimony compounds

• Halogenated compounds include all flame retardants in group codes 10 - 29

Getting a Material MDS

• Always go back to the polymer manufacturer

– The vast majority are in IMDS and they are the only ones who really know what is in their products

– Some publish their MDSs, others submit directly upon request

Check Your Specifications

• What type of material does the drawing specify?

– Example: 40% Talc Reinforced, Polypropylene, Black

• MDS should have at least 3 substances listed – Talc

– Polypropylene

– Pigment for the black color

Know What is Reasonable

• Do the percentages for the substances in your polymer material make sense

• Amounts for additives can vary from less than 1% for flame retardants to as much as 10% or so for pigments

• Base polymer amounts vary depending on the type of polymer and its function – Example: PVC is used for many things from rigid pipes to flexible

wire insulation

– The formulation for PVC is dependent on its function

» Rigid – contains a high percentage of PVC

» Flexible – typically contains no more than 40 – 50% PVC

Polymeric Parts Marked Question

• Triggered whenever a component contains any amount of a polymer material

• Answer not always required

– IMDS checks do not produce warnings/errors when the amount of the polymer material is too light

– Failing to answer can cause rejection so always answer it

Questions?

Heidi M. Wittenborn

Senior Environmental Consultant

hwittenborn@rsjtechnical.com

512-217-1675