History of the development of processing aids for rigid PVC

Abstract

Abstract Bauman's polymerization of vinylchloride is generally regarded as the first documented preparation. British and German patents were granted in 1912 but the period from 1931 to 1933 based on work at BFGoodrich is considered as the beginnings of the flexible PVC industry, which grew rapidly during the 1940's and 1950's to become the dominant family of synthetic plastic resins. However, PVC degrades at about the same temperature required to process it. Therefore, without stabilizers and other additive modification, it could not have reached its present preeminence among rigid thermoplastics. The first processing aid patent appeared in 1953, and the first commercial processing aid appeared in 1957, which marked the beginning of the rigid PVC industry, the development of which is described in the paper.