Polypropylene has been one of the fastest-growing plastics in recent years, and its consumption is expected to continue to grow faster than that of other major thermoplastics (PE, PS, PVC, PET).
PP is processed using many different methods.
The most common uses are:
* Injection molding of a wide variety of parts, from toys to car bumpers.
* Blow molding of hollow containers such as bottles or fuel tanks.
* Thermoforming of, for example, food containers. In particular, PP is used for applications requiring resistance to high temperatures (microwave) or low temperatures (frozen foods).
* Production of fibers, both woven and nonwoven.
* Extrusion of profiles, sheets, and tubes.
* 3D printing; it has recently begun to be used in filament form for FDM 3D printing.
Production of film, in particular:
- Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film, the most widely used type, accounts for more than 20% of the flexible packaging market in Western
. - Cast film.
- Blown film—a small market at present, but one that is
growing rapidly. - PP is used in a wide variety of applications, including food packaging, textiles, laboratory equipment, automotive components, and transparent films.
- It is highly resistant to various chemical solvents, as well as to alkalis and acids
Most grades of PP are suitable for food contact, and a small number can be used in medical (surgical meshes for hernia treatment) or pharmaceutical applications.