Plastic

Application of injection plastic parts in military industry

Let's seize the golden moment of plastic recycling together!

On May 20, 1940, "Time" magazine named Beckland, a Belgian, as the "father of plastics", who invented the world's first synthetic plastic - phenolic plastic. The discovery of plastic has greatly changed the way of life of human beings. People are so fascinated by this light and convenient material that today plastic products fill every corner of life.

Plastic has the advantages of low specific gravity, easy processing, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and good thermal insulation, which can meet the combat needs in most environments. Therefore, plastics are widely used in mainstream combat equipment.

Viper Gunship

The "ah-1z Viper gunship" has a four-blade bearingless composite main rotor system, an upgraded transmission and a new targeting system.

For decades, military combat has required heavy machinery. Metal is one of the oldest materials ever used by the military. In addition to gaining the most basic aspects of heavy combat, metal has longevity, convenience and a coveted design that can withstand almost any external condition.

Weapons manufacturers have made significant strides in converting military equipment from metal to plastic in recent years, driving lightweighting for military applications.

Statistics show that plastic can reduce equipment loads by 50% while keeping troops agile and safe when engaging the enemy.

Subcompact Glock Pistol

Gun maker Glock has made the bold decision to use as much plastic as possible in a sizable portion of its firearms to keep manufacturing costs down. The final prototype, dubbed the "Glock 17," in which only the barrel and magazine were metal, was sent to the military for testing. After months of thorough testing, Glock was approved and has received thousands of purchase orders.

While plastic framed guns are acceptable to the public, the design has been met with some criticism. Many critics say the guns are invisible in airport security metal detectors, but it's safe to say that much of this argument is unfounded.

Stealth Fighter

With the development of science and technology, stealth has become more and more indispensable, but traditional metal machinery will leave significant electromagnetic echo and infrared signal characteristics, so it can no longer meet the needs of modern warfare.

In response to this threat, modern weapons and equipment have begun to use resin materials on a large scale to enhance stealth. This shell, made of polymer composites, can reduce vibration in the position of military aircraft and ships. Among them, military helicopters are also equipped with foam blades and carbon fiber fuselage, which can effectively prevent radar detection.

MQ_9 UAV

The emergence of the Internet of Things connection in the army has changed the traditional combat mode, but it has also increased military expenses. Fortunately, the advantages of injection molding military equipment in production and transportation greatly save production time and reduce manufacturing costs.

Parts manufactured by precision molding can be specially customized to military specifications and are produced very quickly.

Plastic tactical gear is common in the military, primarily because of its durability, lightness and weather resistance and the material's non-conductivity. While steel has long been an ideal material for military use, plastics are revolutionizing the field.

At the same time, military equipment made of metal often requires careful maintenance. Maintenance materials and maintenance equipment will increase military expenses, but if you choose plastic materials, you can easily wipe off the dirt.

Therefore, more plastic composite materials will appear on weapons and equipment more frequently in the future.

●Individual Weapon

The Type 95 automatic rifle (QBZ-95) is one of the standard automatic rifles of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. In the 95-type automatic rifle, except for the load-bearing parts and moving parts, which are metal, the rest of the parts, including the magazine and the shell, are engineering plastics. In addition to the 95 automatic rifle, the grip of the 92-style pistol and the casing of the 05-style miniature submachine gun are also made of engineering plastics.

There are many countries in the world that use plastic individual weapons. Among them, the injection-molded pistols of the American GLOCK company have entered the civilian market in the United States, and the popularity rate in the United States is very high. In addition to the sleeve, barrel and spring, the Glock-19 pistol is still made of metal, and a large number of engineering plastics are used for injection molding, which interprets the truth that plastic pistols can also be among the top in the world.

NATEC ammunition company in the United States tried to use high-pressure polymer as a PCA bullet for bullet casings. Compared with traditional bullets, it is 30% lighter in weight, has a small thermal conductivity coefficient, a small friction coefficient, and reduces costs. In recent years, it has gradually become the US gun market. It is a popular product, and it is possible to equip the army in batches in the future.

True Velocity's 6.8mm plastic case bullet has been selected by the U.S. Army for testing under the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program. The thermal insulation of plastic allows the cartridge case bullet to significantly reduce the muzzle flash characteristic, allowing the use of less gunpowder.

●Armored fighting vehicles

On the battlefield of international wars, strategic equipment will play an increasingly decisive role. At present, the world's mainstream tanks weigh 50-75 tons, and the difficulty and speed of long-distance transportation are greatly limited. In 2011, DERA and Vickers Defense Systems Co., Ltd. cooperated to manufacture the Armored Plastic Vehicle (ACAVP), which is the first plastic tank in Europe, with a total combat weight of 18 to 25 tons. This armored vehicle radar is almost invisible to its whereabouts. Compared to bulky steel tanks, it is lighter, faster and easier to transport by helicopter.

At present, plastic tracks are widely used in many fields such as search and rescue and reconnaissance. Compared with traditional tracks, plastic tracks have better friction and corrosion resistance, and have better performance in specific environments.

●Flight Equipment

Flight equipment has always been the development direction of military heavy equipment in various countries. In addition to fighter jets and missiles, UAVs and other equipment will also play a key role in today's war. Many parts of modern fighter jets are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

Today's technology is more mainly made of plastic or carbon fiber is the drone, which is difficult to be detected by radar, has good concealment and maneuverability, and is used for reconnaissance or transmission of materials.

●Other equipment

Military plastic packaging boxes have been widely used in the United States and many European countries. Traditional wood and steel military packaging materials are gradually replaced by composite materials, especially engineering plastics. This packaging box uses lightweight polyethylene modified material and can be reused many times.

Military food packaging is an important barrier to protect military food. Plastic packaging includes flexible packaging plastics (self-heating food for individual soldiers), plastic rigid containers (seasoning boxes, self-heating containers (similar to self-heating small hot pot)), etc.

Plastic materials have better general performance. In the current military equipment, the most substitute for metal equipment is still plastic. However, in today's increasingly serious global plastic pollution, we should reduce our dependence on plastic use, develop towards a green and sustainable recycling path, and do timely remedial work for the "worst invention" of the father of plastic, so that mankind can say goodbye to "plastic" era"!