Polyethylene Terephthalate, better known as PET or PETE, is the chemical name of polyester. PET is a lightweight, strong and clear plastic that’s widely used for packaging beverages and foods, especially convenience-sized water, juices and drinks. In fact, all single serving and 2 liter bottles of water and carbonated soft drinks are made of PET.
First synthesized in North America by DuPont chemists in mid-1940s, the PET fiber was named “Dacron”. Today, PET fiber is used to make more than half of the world’s synthetic fiber. In fabric or fiber application applications, PET is known as polyester. In container and other such productions, it’s termed PET resin or simply.
In late 1950s however, scientists discovered a way to stretch extruded sheets of PET in two directions to form a thin PET film. This film is used extensively for photo, video, and packaging films. Also, in 1970s, the technology of PET was further researched upon to find a way to blow-stretch molding of PET to produce bottles, leading to the patenting of the PET bottle in 1973.
The building blocks of Polyethylene Terephthalate or PET are terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, combined to form a polymer chain. The PET produced from this polymer chain form spaghetti like strands, which are then extruded, cooled and cut out into small pellets. These pellets are further heated to melting temperatures so that they can be easily molded into the desired shape.
PET is also a popular choice for packaging window cleaners, liquid hand soaps, shampoos, mouthwash, cooking oils, peanut butter, salad dressings and even tennis balls. Prepared food trays and carry-home food containers mostly use special grades of PET that can be use in the microwave for warming up the food.
