Polymer Labs are the leaders in Australia in the deformulation of plastic products and materials. Also known as reverse engineering, deformulation is the separation, identification and quantitation of ingredients in a polymer formulation.
Plastic deformulation involves using a range of analytical techniques and conventional extraction methods to identify and quantify the components of a complex polymer mixture including polymers, resins, fillers, stabilizers, plasticizers, lubricants, flame retardants, antioxidants etc.
Deformulation studies usually starts with grinding of the plastic to a fine mesh size followed by the following analytical techniques such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectral detection (GC/MS), Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS).
Additives in very low amounts may be determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) can be used to determine the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of the resin.
