i would like to know what the melting point of plastic is for one of my experiments. and if someone could also give me the point at which plastic bends easily without melting, that would be fantastic. thanks for the help.
As the previous answerers said, there are different types of plastics. They are all part of the polymer family. Some of the polymers actually become harder when you heat them up and don't melt, while the others become liquid. The liquid state is actually more of a melt type, very thick and viscous.
The melting point depends on the type of plastic, of which there are many. Some plastics called thermoset plastics will never melt, but will burn or char instead. One of the more common plastics is polyethylene, although again the temperature will change depending on the grade of polyethylene. So called low-density polyethylene (LDPE) will melt at about 105-115 °C, and is used in many plastic bags. It is already soft. Another common plastic is poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC or uPVC), which melts at 100-260 °C and is used in wire insulation (PVC), pipes and window frames (uPVC). It gets softer above about 80 °C (its glass transition temperature). As a rule of thumb, the harder the plastic, the higher the melting temperature (as long as it isn't thermoset or cross-linked). Heating a polymer above its glass transition temperature but keeping it below its melting temperature will greatly soften the polymer and make it more rubbery.
