101 things about plastic filler talc: Components, properties and applications

Plastic filler talc is undoubtedly one of the most common plastic fillers. Thanks to its outstanding mechanical characteristics, plastic talc filler has been widely used in many fields such as injection molding, extrusion molding, blown film,… as well as providing end-products with multiple advantages. 

Plastic filler talc is a well-known plastic filler. It is unexaggerated to say that the application of plastic fillers has revolutionized the plastic industry which once acknowledged the use of primary resins only. In particular, using plastic fillers helps plastic enterprises save a large amount of expense on input materials as most of them are at relatively low price compared with primary plastic. Therefore, plastic filler is an ideal alternative to a part of primary plastic. Besides, changing to plastic filler also minimizes the possibility of being negatively impacted by market fluctuation for plastic enterprises, thus paving the way for their sustainable development.

Among various types of fillers, talc may be one of the most preferable ones. This material can significantly reduce production cost while enhancing many properties of end-products such as thermal resistance, anti-block ability and durability,… thus improving the competitiveness of plastic enterprises. So what is plastic filler talc composed of? and how it is applied? Let’s discover with EuroPlas in this article below.

1. What is plastic filler talc?

Plastic filler talc is the combination of talc powder, plastic resins and necessary additives such as dispersant additives, bonding additives, processing aid additives,… Depending on the end-products’ requirements, manufacturers will choose the additives accordingly. As such, talc powder is nearly the key factor determining the mechanical properties of plastic filler talc. So what’s special about this material?

Talc powder is a metamorphic mineral made of three main components: magie, silic and oxy. In nature, this material exists in large reserves in the form of soapstone (a high-talc rock) and within whiteschist (for example the Franciscan Metamorphic Belt of the Western United States, the Western European Alps, certain areas of the Musgrave Block,…) and blueschist metamorphic terranes.

One special thing about this material is it’s a white soft odourless substance. Besides, it also has no chemical reaction when being directly applied on human’s skin, not to mention oil/moisture/smell absorption ability. Therefore, talc powder is an indispensable component in cosmetics production (skin cream,  commonly used in cosmetic and pharmaceuticals production. This characteristic also brings plastic filler talc a high level of safety, thus making it an ideal choice for many food-contact end-products such as food packaging films, cutleries, single-use dishes,…

2. Talc’s special properties

The reason why this material is widely used as plastic filler talc lies in its outstanding properties:

• High level of softness: talc is also known with another name – “soft stone” as this material’s rigidity is relatively low compared to that of others. This advantage allows plastic products containing talc to be printed easily on the surface, thus making talc the first priority in many fields such as sculpture, household appliance production,…

• Inertness: unlike other substances which might cause allergy for humans when they have skin contact, talc powder is quite safe, making it an indispensable component in cosmetic production. Besides, this characteristic also gives talc filler a plus point when it is mixed with other matters as it hardly afflict their properties.
• Processing aid: Seems a bit surprised but talc powder can assist in processing procedure. Thanks to its low hardness, the processing of plastic filler talc remarkably minimizes abrasion on equipment than harder materials, especially in extrusion.
• Thermal resistance: Talc particle’s platy shape increases the heat resistance as well as reducing shrinkage, thus it is especially suitable for laboratory tabletop surfaces, sinks and countertops. Also, this material enhances end-products’ rigidity such as polypropylene, vinyl, polyethylene, nylon, and polyester.

3. Common applications of plastic filler talc

According to the United States Geological survey, about 26% of talc produced in America goes to the manufacturing of plastic filler talc, making it the largest contributor to talc consumption. That figure, once again, showed a rising trend in using talc as a vital plastic filler.

Talc filler provides end-products with various outstanding mechanical properties such as thermal resistance, rigidity, anti block, abrasion and shrinkage decrease,…Specifically, the use of talc filler doesn’t require any changes in equipment and technology as it can easily meet all requirements of traditional technology method. Another reason for the proliferation of talc filler roots in its reasonable price compared to primary plastic. Therefore, the use of talc filler more or less helps enterprises save a significant amount of input materials expense, thus giving end-products an advantage.

Thanks to its outstanding mechanical properties, talc filler is widely used in many fields.

Blown films

Extruded products

Injection molding products

Raffia