You have been hired by Tupperware. You have been asked to select a polyethylene material for a fast cycling injection molding operation (a plastic lid ). You know immediately that you need to select a material that has a __________ molecular weight distribution (MWD)
We need to select a material that has a narrow molecular weight distribution. MWD is the distribution of molecular weight of different chains in a polymer due to varying degree of polymerization. Therefore, apart from the average MW of the material, the distribution of molecular weight is also important for determining it's properties.
For processes like injection molding, a narrow distribution is preferable so that the material behaves similarly at a given temperature. This also provides the required uniformity for a fast process.
Apart from the distribution, the average molecular weight involves a trade-off between the processability and strength of the material.
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