The English term "plastic"-corresponding to the Chinese term for plastic raw materials-originally referred to any material that could be freely molded into various shapes, or simply a "moldable material." In the *Cihai* dictionary, however, it is defined as a material "primarily composed of synthetic or natural high-molecular-weight compounds" that can be plasticized and shaped under specific conditions, and whose final products retain their form permanently.
1. The primary constituent of plastic raw materials is a high-molecular-weight compound matrix known as "resin."
2. Plastic Raw Materials: These are materials primarily composed of synthetic high-molecular-weight resins (polymers), into which various auxiliary agents or additives for specific purposes have been incorporated. Under specific temperatures and pressures, they exhibit plasticity and flowability, allowing them to be molded into specific shapes which they subsequently retain under defined conditions.
3. Polymers: This term refers to the pure materials-or "polymeric materials"-produced through the process of polymerization. Whether natural or synthetic, all resins are classified as high-molecular-weight polymers (macromolecules).
4. Plastics possess excellent insulating properties against electricity, heat, and sound: they demonstrate outstanding electrical insulation, arc resistance, thermal insulation, soundproofing, sound absorption, vibration damping, and noise-reduction capabilities.
Most plastic raw materials are derived from various oil-based sources. A particularly familiar example-PC material-is refined from petroleum; when burned, PC emits a foul odor resembling rotting fruit and flowers, accompanied by the presence of charred carbon particles. ABS material is refined from coal; when an ABS sample finishes burning and is extinguished, it leaves behind a soot-like residue and does not bubble. POM material is refined from natural gas; when POM is burned, it emits a very pungent, foul-smelling gas and produces white smoke.