A Complete Guide to Plastic Tubes

Did you know that only 9% of all plastic gets recycled? That’s a crazy statistic. So it’s more important than ever to understand how we use plastic to look after our planet.

Plastic tubes are becoming more popular as an innovative way of recycling plastics. But what goes into making plastic tubes? Let’s take a closer look at this plastic tube guide at some plastic tube facts.

What Plastics Are in Plastic Tubes?

The most common type of plastic tube used today is PET. PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate.

It’s made from oil or gas drilling waste and around food packagings, such as bottles and jars. The other main types of recyclable plastic include HDPE, LDPE, and PP/PS.

PET has been the standard in the industry since the 1950s. That’s because it’s cheap and easy to recycle using existing infrastructure. Yet, there have been many advances in technology over time.

These changes resulted in new materials with better properties. These newer plastics aren’t compatible with current equipment so they’re not currently recycled

How Do You Make a Plastic Tube?

There are two ways to make a plastic tube, be it a pipe or a plastic test tube for a lab: extrusion and injection molding. Extrusion involves melting down raw material. Then it’s forced through a die at high pressure. This creates long strands of a molten polymer called ‘filaments’.

Once cooled these filaments form thin sheets known as ‘tapes’. They can either be wound up on spools like paper tape or cut into smaller pieces.

Injection molding works by injecting hot melted resin into a mold where it cools fast. In doing so, it allows forming of solid layers.

Extruded plastic tubes tend to be stronger than those in injection molding. Both methods produce similar results, but each has its own use cases. 

Why Use Recycled Plastic Tubes?

Recycling plastic isn’t only about saving money – it also helps save energy and resources. By reusing old products, fewer fossil fuels need burning. Plus, when you reuse something, you don’t create any extra pollution.

Use Cases for Plastic Tubes

Clear plastic tubes are everywhere in our society, from the home to warehouses, and even in the sea. Here are some examples of why people choose to use recycled plastic tubes:

Water Pipes

If you live somewhere cold, you’ll already have water pipes installed under your home. When it comes time to replace them, consider switching to recycled plastic tubing. Not only will it last longer, but it doesn’t contain lead or mercury.

Garden Hoses

Hose clamps often break off during heavy rainstorms. In doing so, they leave gardeners without access to their hoses. Instead of replacing the whole thing, try swapping out the clamp for a reusable version.

Plastic Tubes Are Versatile

Plastic tubes are vital to society in more ways than one. From food packaging to plumbing systems, we all rely on them every day. But despite how important they are, most end up going straight into landfills.

So now is a more important time than ever to make sure we’re making the most of the plastic tubes we make.

Keep reading more posts on our website for more industrial-sized advice!