There are several obvious ways to damage the surface of plastic products, including scratches from sharp objects; Abrasive wear caused by abrasive friction; Surface damage that alters surface properties or gloss; Or the 'write effect' caused by slight scrapes of the passivated object. These phenomena occur when the material yields under the influence of compression forces, sliding forces, or lateral (lateral) forces, resulting in ductile/brittle failure and resulting in scratches. In scratches, uneven surfaces produce uneven light scattering and "scratch evaporation." The solution to improve scratch performance is to minimize the roughness of the polymer bottom surface and lower the scratch shoulder to minimize light scattering and minimize scratch visibility, thereby achieving higher wear resistance.

Some plastics already have excellent wear resistance, and by adding various wear-resistant additives, their wear resistance can be further improved. Plastic composites made from additives such as polytetrafluoroethylene, molybdenum disulfide, graphite, silicone oil, glass fiber, carbon fiber, and aromatic polyamide fibers exhibit self-lubricating properties and can reduce pressure on mating parts, thereby improving wear resistance. Let's take a look at materials that can improve wear resistance.

1. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon)

PTFE has the lowest friction coefficient among all resistant additives. PTFE molecules produced during friction form a lubricating film on the surface of the part. PTFE has excellent lubricity and wear resistance under frictional shear forces, making it the best additive under high load conditions. These high-load devices include hydraulic piston ring seals and thrust washers. The most suitable PTFE content is amorphous with 15% PTFE, while crystalline plastics with 20% PTFE.

2. Molybdenum disulfide

Another common name for molybdenum disulfide is "Moly," mainly used as a resistant additive for nylon plastics. Molybdenum disulfide acts like a crystallizing agent, increasing the crystallinity of nylon and giving it a harder and more friction-resistant surface. Molybdenum disulfide has a high affinity for metals. Once adsorbed onto the metal surface, molybdenum disulfide molecules fill the capillaries visible under a microscope on the metal surface, making it smoother. This makes molybdenum disulfide an ideal wear-resistant additive for applications where nylon and metal rub against each other.

3. Graphite

The chemical structure of graphite is a unique lattice pattern. This unique chemical structure allows graphite molecules to easily slide against each other with minimal frictional force. This wear-resistant characteristic is especially important in environments with water. This property makes graphite an ideal wear-resistant additive for many applications placed in water, such as water-lay shells, impellers, and value seals.

4. Polysiloxane

Polysiloxane liquid is a transitional wear-resistant additive. When added to thermoplastics, the additive slowly migrates to the surface of the part, forming a continuous thin film. Polysiloxane has a wide viscosity range, measured in centistokes. The viscosity of polysiloxane is too low, it becomes more fluid and rapidly transitions to the part surface, providing wear resistance. If the viscosity of polysiloxane is too low, it volatilizes more easily and quickly migrates and disappears from the part.

5. Fiberglass

Glass fiber is a hard and highly scratchable fiber, so it is often mistakenly believed that adding glass fiber to plastic will damage its abrasion resistance. Glass fiber provides the function of strong mechanical bonding between polymers, so it can enhance the overall properties of thermoplastic structures and improve wear resistance. Glass fiber provides reinforcement that can increase the plastic's resistance to creep, thermal conductivity, and thermal deformation, thereby significantly improving the plastic's load capacity and friction resistance.

6. Carbon fiber

Unlike glass fiber, carbon iron can significantly improve the integrity, wear resistance, load capacity, and resistance to wear speed of the structure. Unlike glass fiber, carbon fiber is a softer fiber with lower scratch resistance. Carbon fiber does not scratch the iron-steel or friction surfaces of steel that rubs against it. Thermoplastic plastics with more than 10% carbon fiber can eliminate static electricity and thus overcome static issues caused by it.

7. Aromatic polyamide fibers

Aromatic polyamide fibers are also one of the wear-resistant additives. Unlike glass fiber and carbon fiber, it is the softest and most scratch-resistant fiber. This property is the main advantage of aromatic polyamide fibers in wear-resistant applications, especially in the fibers that are scratch-resistant to the surfaces of fitting parts.