Rotomolding Materials: What’s Right for Your Part?

How to Choose the Right Rotomolding Materials for Your Needs

Selecting the perfect material for your rotomolding project is a crucial step that can make or break the success of your product. Whether you’re developing a durable outdoor storage solution, a complex industrial component, or an innovative consumer product, the rotomolding material you choose will impact its performance, longevity, and cost-effectiveness. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through some of the most common rotomolding materials and their characteristics. We’ll also highlight a few of the considerations you should keep in mind when choosing a material for your project. Let’s get started.

Common Rotomolding Materials

While there are a range of rotomolding materials out there the most common are LLDPE, MDPE, HDPE, XLPE, Nylon 6, and polypropylene. 

LLDPE

LLDPE has a medium stiffness and high durability, making it a popular choice for a range of applications. It maintains excellent chemical and environmental stress crack resistance. Additionally, it can be enhanced with UV stabilizers, pigments, and antimicrobials. As such, it’s commonly used to create tanks, containers, toys, and outdoor products.

MDPE

MDPE has a great balance of stiffness and flexibility, along with good impact strength. This material is often used for automotive parts and toys.

HDPE

HDPE has the highest stiffness of all the polyethylenes and excellent chemical resistance. It can also meet FDA/USDA requirements for food contact. HDPE is used in all kinds of applications, from tanks to food containers.

XLPE

This material is cross-linked for improved toughness and heat resistance. Like many of the other materials mentioned above, XLPE has excellent chemical resistance. You’ll commonly find this material in seating, fuel cells, and chemical tanks.

Nylon 6

Nylon 6 has a high tensile strength and stiffness. Additionally, it’s heat- and chemical-resistant, though it tends to be more expensive than polyethylenes. This material is most common for chemical storage tanks and hydraulic reservoir tanks.

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is stiffer than polyethylenes with a higher heat resistance. This material also has excellent chemical and environmental stress crack resistance; however, its low impact strength is a limitation. You’ll commonly use polypropylene to create plumbing components, tanks, automotive parts, and industrial equipment.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Material

With so many materials to choose from, how do you know what’s right for your application? Keep these considerations in mind to make the best decision for your business.

Mechanical Properties

Your chosen material should possess the necessary mechanical properties to meet the performance requirements of the final product. This includes tensile strength, impact resistance, and flexibility. The material you use should be able to withstand the operational stresses and environmental conditions it will encounter.

Chemical Resistance

Depending on the application, your part may need to resist various chemicals. This might include acids, bases, and solvents. If your product will be used in harsh chemical environments, you must choose a material that won’t degrade.

Thermal Properties

The material’s thermal properties, such as melting point and thermal stability, are crucial to the success of the project. It should be able to maintain its properties under the operating temperature range of the final product.

Get Insights from the Rotational Molding Experts

Choosing the right rotomolding materials is a lot of pressure. Having an expert on your side can help remove the stress. At GVL Poly, we’ve been in the rotomolding industry for decades, and can help you decide what’s right for your application.

When you work with us, you get an experienced team that can handle everything from beginning to end. From the initial design and prototyping to the final assembly, we’ve got you covered. This frees up your time so you can focus on what truly matters — growing your business.

You also get access to some of the best-in-class rotational molding machinery, designed to get your product to market faster. We were the first company in North America to adopt a Leonardo Smart Molding Machine, which offers higher productivity, lower energy consumption, and more. By partnering with us, you can be sure your parts are made to your exact specifications in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Let’s Get Started

Want to learn more about what we can do for you? Reach out to our team for an initial consultation.