Many people have heard of PVC piping, but not many know what it's all about; like that PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride for instance! Since the industrial revolution, and even before then, PVC has been making appearances all throughout history. There are literally thousands of different things that can be manufactured with use of raw PVC, including ceiling tiles, portable electronics, pipes, and signs. One need look no further than the price and easy manipulation of the PVC material to find out why it has become so popular. PVC has completely taken over industries, many having to do with construction, and has saved workers as well as customers a lot of time and money. It is just so easy to deal with, and the miami plastic distribution process has come such a long way that it only takes a few minutes to complete! In fact, it is estimated that by 2016, plastic production of the PVC material will rise above at least 40 million tons!

As can be expected, PVC is made up of a vinyl polymer, consisting of dense groups of vinyl known as ethenyls. The chemical structure of the vinyl groups change, allowing for one of the vinyl's hydrogen groups to be replaced with chloride. After the discovery of plasticizing PVC, or adding additives in order to make the material more flexible, the applications for the material increased tenfold. This plasticizing was largely responsible for why it climbed to the third most widely used plastic in America.

So many more products were able to be constructed in such a short period of time, and in huge quantities, since the discovery of plasticization of the polymer. Hoses, electrical cable insulation, and even fabrics are constructed with the use of polyvinyl chloride. Many different plasticizers are employed in the process, but the most likely one to be used by a manufacturer is phthalates. Due to the fact that this plasticized PVC is is so flexible and durable at the same time, things like inflatable pool toys and waterbeds.

PVC has to go through a process to become what it is, often referred to as polymerization, and specifically the polymerization of VCM, or vinyl chloride monomer. Most manufacturers of the PVC material put it through a type of polymerization called suspension polymerization. In order to go about this, they must place raw VCM in a machine which takes it through a series of steps including intense pressure, heating, and shaping of the raw material. It is then taken out of the machine and put into a cooling container in order to retain its shape.

PVC was discovered by accident at least two different times during the 19th century; once in 1835 by Henry victor Regnault, and again in 1872 by Eugen Baumann. They found that when they left raw vinyl chloride monomer out in the sun, white chunks began to form along the inside of it. Neither men did anything with what they found however, and the process was not able to expand until the 20th century. Ivan Omstromislensky and Klatte attempted to manipulate the plastic but found it too impossible to work with.

Waldo Semon and the B.F. Goodrich Company came up with the idea of plasticizing the material with the use of different additives. They thought that this would dilute the material and make it more flexible and much easier to work with, and they were right. With the introduction of this plasticizing process in 1926, PVC was allowed to flourish at a completely new level. All of the different applications that were now made possible thanks to plasticization grew in huge demand, and companies had to step it up.

Half of all polyvinyl chloride material produced goes to the making of PVC pipes. These pipes have completely taken over industries such as the water distribution market and the sanitary sewer construction. The durability of these pipes allows them to be put through harsh conditions without cracking or breaking for long periods of time. Also, with a simple heating or concrete process, companies can connect several lengths of pipes together, cutting back on prices, saving time, and allowing PVC piping to run for miles underground.

More than plastic products alone though, PVC makes up so many other products that we've learn to become increasingly dependent on. Things as common as signs (advertisements, warnings, etc.) and stripes on vehicles are manufactured with polyvinyl chloride. For these types of products, PVC is flattened and dyed for little extra cost, and then cut by a computer-controlled machine to the exact dimensions instilled by the manufacturer. It seems that the different uses for PVC will never end!