How Vinyl is Made

Vinyl is the only plastic, which can be manufactured into thin, flexible wall coverings, car tops or kept rigid to be used in construction on buildings.

Vinyl is the result of a series of processes, which convert hydrocarbon-based materials such as petroleum, natural gas, or coal into polymers. The vinyl polymer is based on the hydrocarbon: ethylene, and chlorine.

Chlorine provides vinyl with two benefits that other plastics don't have. First,
chlorine is derived from brine or salt and water, which is readily available, and
an inexpensive commodity. Because of this, vinyl is less effective by the fluctuations of the global oil market.

The second benefit is that chlorine has excellent flame retardant properties, which are carried directly through to the end product. This makes vinyl an excellent choice for electrical conduit and wiring, which need high resistance to ignition and flame spread.

Ethylene and chlorine react to each other to form ethylene dichloride. This is
transformed into vinyl chloride monomer, or VCM, which is a gas. A final step,
or polymerization, converts the monomer into vinyl polymer, which is a fine, white resin known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC, which has been shortened to simply vinyl.

Vinyl resin, however, is rigid, sometimes brittle and must be combined with selected chemical additives and modifiers to make it flexible and to achieve the many properties desired by the resulting end product vinyl.

Vinyl is the only plastic, which can be manufactured into thin, flexible wall coverings, car tops or kept rigid to be used in construction on buildings. The additives and modifiers used will determine the use of the vinyl as well as its color.

 

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