Will plastic deteriorated if no protection is added?

Question

I was wondering of the above topic if I never spray any form of protection like plastic protector then will it get faded or so after years? The plastic in always indoor therefore has no chance of getting sun damage or so. I know plastic is so weak that simple wiping will get it scratches over time therefore hope to have less contact with the material. Pls advise.

#Is there any spray solution that dries itself (no smudges) without any need of wiping? pls recommend if any.

The plastic in question is of the amplifer of the home theatre system. Dun know what class of plastic it belongs to though.. Shiny black surface though.

Forget to mention its just the display panel not the whole body.

Answer 1

Your comments and questions cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. You have not provided the application type, the polymer type, the pigments selected, and other related needed data to be able to answer your questions.

Below are some general comments about polymers and their weatherability.

Plastic is a general term. Some polymers weather very well with little noticible polymeric deterioration. Others do not. Often the base polymer is not as critical as is the way it is formulate. Stabilizers, for heat and light exposure make major differences in weatherability.

Polymer flexibility is provided by adding plasticizers to the formulation. If the plasticizer is not designed for exterior application, it is likely to either volatilize away or degrade - resulting in brittle material that will break or crack. Often this is seen in the second winter of exposure when the plasticizers have been subject to a summer of heat and sunlight that has degraded or volatilized away plasticizer.

Polymers have substantial thermal expansion. This has to be taken into consideration in the way it is used or normal thermal expansion can cause failure. This is also common with most materials.

Finally, there is the question of color stability. Color is provided by color pigments. Many color pigments used in plastics are also used in paints. Exterior grade pigments are resistant to sunlight exposure and weather fairly well; interior grade pigments do not. Even if exterior pigments were used and they don't degrade, you can see color fading or whitening if the base polymer is not properly formulated for exterior use.

Coating polymers with a paint or similar coating produces unpredictable results. Polymers often have external lub in their formulation so they can be molded and extruded into shape without sticking to the mold or extrusion die. These lubes migrate to the surface of the polymer and hamper paint adhesion oftentimes. While the paint may provide short term appearance improvement, the paint may substantilly peal and blister after exposure.

Polymers, properly formulated, can provide years of life under extremes of weather. Consider vinly siding, vinyl boat seating, thermoplastic elastomer molded auto parts, and the insulation on electric wires as example of well formulated, long lasting polymer formulations. However not all polymers provide the same performance.

Answer 2

I have to agree with one answer suggesting not enough detail. Certainly some forms of "PLASTIC" degrade, but I have to tell you...

Plastic even if not thought of as such; is likely the discovery that has made/had the most impact, EVER, on the global community; and will likely remain as such; FOREVER. In some sense that's rather sad; as evidenced in land Fill areas. Obviously it's benefits; at least to economies; probably are the "weightyer" balance at the moment.

Consider this; and I'm open to any disagreement. Much like GOLD...one can change the form of "plastic", even it's viscosities; but historically speaking; at least; it's gonna be here as long as Uranium/Plutionium/ even Roaches.

Your notion that plastic is WEAK; isn't exactly accurate,,,as I tried to explain above. certainly in your suggestion it might fade/peel/crack/flake/ fall off of whatever you've applied it to.

Beyond that, you didn't state your design in application; or your NEED to apply any coating.

Steven Wolf

Answer 3

It will fade and deteriorate with time if left outside. That's just the nature of plastic. How long that takes is determined by a lot of things including the thickness of the plastic.

I am not aware of a solution you can spray on it