再生PPS聚苯硫醚:耐高温料回炉再改性,电控壳体的高性价比路线

塑料知识科普 发布时间: 2026-09-13 835 阅读

There is a factory that makes electrical control housings. After switching to recycled materials, not only did customers not return the products, but they also actually increased their orders. You might not believe it—they aren’t using imported new PPS; instead, they collect scrap pieces of glass fiber reinforced PPS, reprocess them, and pelletize them again. Who would have thought of this a few years ago? High-temperature resistant electrical components that need to meet UL94 V0 flame-retardant standards are now using recycled materials. But this is the reality: the demand for electric vehicle control units, OBCs, and thermal management parts has surged, new PPS is pricey, and the OEMs have added carbon footprint and green supply chain requirements to their sourcing standards. Only then was recycled PPS brought out from the corner and put on the table. Today, let’s fully explain this: high-temperature PPS can be reprocessed and modified—how can it even compete with new materials, what key steps it must pass first, so that procurement teams have a clear understanding.

Let's spend two minutes getting to know the main character. Ningbo Kolon New Material Co., Ltd. is a plastic raw material supply company integrating industry and trade. It has long been engaged in recycled plastic raw materials, covering categories such as PP, PE, ABS, PC, PET, PVC, HIPS, PA, and more. In the past two years, it has also started recycling and modifying high-temperature engineering plastics. Today’s focus is recycled PPS, and the main character is polyphenylene sulfide. PPS is a bit tricky: it is heat-resistant, flame-retardant, chemically resistant, and dimensionally stable, naturally used as casing material for high-temperature electrical components; but its melting point is not low and the price is not cheap, so using pure resin can be costly. Over 70% of the PPS circulating in the market is glass fiber reinforced—by adding glass fiber, rigidity, heat resistance, and creep resistance all improve, making it perfect for electrical control housings, connectors, and electronic water pump impellers. Its recycled source comes from the sprues, edges, and scrap of these glass fiber reinforced PPS parts, which are sorted, cleaned, re-extruded, and modified before returning to the production line. This process is more sophisticated than ordinary recycled plastics because PPS has to meet more standards: heat resistance, flame retardancy, and insulation—none of these can be compromised.

High temperature resistance does not mean it cannot be remelted; the concern is that the glass fibers may be shortened by abrasion.

When many people hear 'recycled PPS,' the first thought that comes to mind is: this material has to withstand over 200 degrees, can it still be reliable if remelted? This question hits the point, but the answer is not simply 'yes' or 'no.' PPS itself is truly heat-resistant — the pure resin can be used continuously at around 180°C; with glass fiber reinforcement, it can withstand 200 to 240°C long-term, reaching up to 260°C short-term, with a melting point around 280–290°C. Its problem is not whether it can endure high temperatures, but that 'this remelting process might shorten the glass fibers.'

Think about it, in the new PPS, those strands of glass fiber are generally three to six millimeters long, with an aspect ratio of forty to fifty, like small steel bars embedded in the resin, supporting the casing without bending or deforming. But once they are crushed, remelted, and extruded, the screw shears them, and the glass fibers get shorter and shorter. In recycled material, the average length of glass fibers often drops to 0.8 to 1.5 millimeters, and the aspect ratio is halved. When the glass fibers become shorter, the tensile and flexural strength naturally decrease—the publicly available industry data shows that simply crushing and re-pelletizing glass fiber-reinforced PPS can reduce tensile and flexural strength by 15 to 30 percent compared to new material. This is the unavoidable hurdle for recycled PPS: it's not that the material can't be used, it's that the 'steel bars' of the glass fibers are shortened and need to be compensated for through formulation.

How to replenish it? The method isn't actually complicated. One way is to mix recycled material with new PPS resin and new glass fiber in proportion, letting short glass fibers mix with new glass fibers to restore the average length; another way is to reprocess it through twin-screw extrusion, using vacuum devolatilization to remove small molecules and volatiles accumulated during processing, then add a bit of toughening and coupling agent. More meticulous factories will also add precision filtration before extrusion to filter impurities in the molten material down to about twenty microns. The recycled PPS produced this way can be reliably used for electronic packaging or SMT bases. There's also an optional step called solid-phase viscosity enhancement, where under nitrogen protection, it is held at 210 to 225 degrees Celsius for six to ten hours to increase the molecular weight by 10-20%, reduce volatiles further, which is very helpful for high-demand electronic-grade parts. Its applications are also common: the electronic control housings in new energy vehicles, insulation bases for OBCs and DC-DC converters, electronic water pump impellers, SMT connectors, ignition coil frameworks, sensor housings, and even low-voltage terminals in charging piles—basically a bunch of small parts that need long-term heat resistance, flame retardancy, and insulation, all supported by PPS. Calling it the 'hidden high-temperature hero inside the housings' of new energy vehicles is not an exaggeration. PPS crystallizes highly and has a high melting point, so the material must be thoroughly dried before processing. Otherwise, once moisture enters, it will undergo hydrolytic chain scission and lose strength. This drying step applies to both new and recycled material; whoever cuts corners will suffer.

Figure 1 Glass Fiber Reinforced PPS Electronic Control Housing Injection Molding Line

The amount of glass fiber added determines how heavy a job this material can handle.

To understand recycled PPS, you first need to establish the benchmark of 'glass fiber content.' Even for recycled PPS, 30% glass fiber and 60% glass fiber are completely different in performance. The more glass fiber, the better the rigidity, heat resistance, and creep resistance, but the material becomes brittle and its flowability worsens; with less glass fiber, it's easier to mold and the surface finish is better, but rigidity and heat resistance drop. Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd., when producing recycled PPS, usually first checks the client's working temperature, wall thickness of the part, and whether it will go through reflow soldering, before deciding the reinforcement ratio, rather than just quoting a low price right away. The table below organizes commonly seen recycled PPS grades by reinforcement system, with data compiled from public TDS and industry sources. Specific values should be based on the manufacturer's actual measurements; don't make decisions based solely on the specifications on paper.

Level NameMain Sources / ProcessesKey indicatorsTypical uses
Recycled PPS Pure Resin GradePPS Sprue/Corner Cleaning and RecyclingUnfilled, good liquidity, needs modificationGeneral heat-resistant structural components, secondary processing base materials
Recycled PPS-GF30Recycling and reprocessing of 30% glass fiber reinforced componentsTensile strength about 130–160 MPa, HDT about 250°CConnectors, sensor housings, general electronic control components
Recycled PPS-GF40Recycling and reprocessing of 40% glass fiber reinforced componentsHigher rigidity, lower warpingElectronic water pump impeller, thermal management housing, skeleton
Recycled PPS-GF6060% High Glass Fiber Recycled MaterialHigh rigidity and low expansion, relatively difficult flowHigh-strength heat-resistant structural parts, coil skeleton
Recycled PPS Mineral-Filled GradeRecycling of Mineral/Glass Fiber Hybrid Filled ComponentsStable dimensions, low warping, good surfaceSwitch, relay base, housing
Recycled PPS-CF Carbon Fiber GradeCarbon fiber reinforced PPS recyclingConductive and wear-resistant, lightweightHigh-speed impeller, conductive shielding components

Note: The above enhancement ratios and performance represent the common ranges found in publicly available industry TDS, used for reference when selecting materials; recycled materials may show variation in actual measured data due to differences in source and modification processes. For more grades and physical property parameters, refer to the manufacturer's official TDS. For electronic control components, it is recommended to request continuous batch test reports.

There’s another key point that needs to be explained clearly: when recycled PPS enters the factory, the first step is sorting. PPS parts are often mixed with materials like PA and PPA, which also withstand high temperatures, and it’s impossible to separate them with the naked eye. Reputable factories use near-infrared sorting to remove different engineering plastics, grouping together those with similar glass fiber content and similar colors. If sorting is done incorrectly—for example, mixing carbon fiber conductive materials into natural color insulating materials—the produced insulating housings will fail insulation and tracking tests, leading to the entire batch being scrapped. Therefore, even if it’s all called “recycled PPS,” how cleanly it’s sorted directly determines which grade the material can go into—and this is a skill you can’t cut corners on.

What is being saved is the cost of materials; what cannot be compromised is long-term stability at high temperatures.

In terms of material cost, recycled PPS is indeed cheaper than virgin resin, which is why industries like electronic controls and thermal management, which use large volumes and are cost-sensitive, use it extensively. However, in the PPS field, there are some considerations that certain materials don't have: the money you save on the material may very well be offset by insufficient modification or inadequate thermal aging. Therefore, making decisions based solely on the per-ton price is particularly risky in the PPS industry.

Breaking down this bill, it is roughly like this:

Cost itemNew Material Reinforced PPSRecycled PPS (properly modified)Difference Explanation
Raw material purchase priceBenchmark priceA bit lowerThe main advantage of recycled materials is the large quantity of electronic components.
Glass fiber retentionLong fiberglass, high strengthAfter recycling, the fiberglass becomes shorter and needs to be replenished.Only when the modification is in place can the strength be restored.
Heat Resistance and Thermal AgingOriginal factory curve is stableDepends on devolatilization and re-modificationHigh-temperature long-term components need to be checked for thermal aging data
Insulating / Flame RetardantMature V0Most can still achieve V0, retesting is requiredElectrical components must have CTI and flame retardant reports
Batch ConsistencyStableRelying on sorting and blending to get byI feel reassured only with continuous batches of data
Comprehensive costTallIf modification is done properly, it is significantly lowerDraw conclusions after taking the risk of thermal aging into account

Here’s another major trend that many people haven’t noticed: the usage of electric control, OBC, DC-DC, and thermal management components in new energy vehicles is increasing, and the demand for recycled PPS is rising accordingly. According to publicly available industry research reports, China’s recycled PPS market has been growing rapidly in recent years and is expected to reach around 80,000 tons by 2026. More importantly, top automakers and battery manufacturers like BYD and CATL have already included recycled materials and green supply chain procurement in their supply chain requirements. This means that using recycled PPS properly not only saves on material costs but also helps clients meet carbon footprint and green supply chain requirements. For example, a housing manufacturer used unmodified recycled GF30; initially, everything was fine upon assembly, but six months later, parts near high-temperature compartments became brittle and cracked under vibration, resulting in rework and claims that nullified the material cost savings and even caused losses. Conversely, using recycled GF40 modified with glass fiber and coupling agents, with each batch accompanied by thermal aging strength data, is slightly more expensive per unit than haphazardly mixed material, but nothing goes wrong after six months or a year, and customers may even increase orders. The real calculation isn’t about saving a few dozen yuan per ton, but ensuring long-term reliability. Which parts can safely use recycled materials and where extra caution is needed, the boundary list is also provided for you:

Use with confidence: For generally cost-sensitive electronic control housings, connector bases, sensor housings, and non-critical parts of electronic water pumps, regenerated GF30/GF40 with proper modification is more than sufficient.

Be careful: For components that are exposed to high temperatures and voltage for a long time, monitor the retention of strength and insulation data after thermal aging; for components that go through SMT reflow soldering, check that they do not deform or precipitate after the soldering process.

Do not touch: Safety structural components that are subjected to long-term stress and have serious consequences if they fail. Do not force unanmodified recycled short glass fiber material onto them; food and medical implants require separate compliance, assuming otherwise will cause accidents.

Whether the casing cracks or not will only be revealed after six months of heat aging.

Factories that make high-temperature parts have mostly encountered this kind of frustrating situation (customer information has been anonymized). A factory near Ningbo that produces automotive electronic control housings tried to cut costs a couple of years ago and bought a batch of recycled PPS-GF30 that hadn't been modified much because it was cheap, and used it to produce housings. The parts initially came out with acceptable dimensions and appearance, and the customer didn't find any issues during small-batch trial assembly. However, after being installed in vehicles for about half a year, a batch of housings near the high-temperature chamber gradually became brittle and cracked with a few vibrations. The customer rejected them, and the entire batch had to be reworked.

Later, this factory got in touch with Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. Kolon New Materials looked at their samples and working conditions, and the problem became clear immediately: it wasn’t that recycled material couldn’t be used, but that the fiberglass in this batch of recycled material was shortened and not replenished, so after thermal aging the strength couldn’t hold up. The next step was to switch to re-modified recycled PPS-GF40 with replenished fiberglass and coupling agent, dry it to the required level before processing, and attach tensile, HDT, and flame retardant reports for each batch; for the wall positions near high temperatures, they verified the material based on strength retention after 100 hours of thermal aging. After making these adjustments, the housings passed thermal aging and vibration tests and never cracked again. Not only did the customer not return the goods, but they also increased their order quantity. Later, the factory calculated: the unit price of recycled PPS-GF40 was considerably lower than that of new material, and although more was spent on thermal aging verification, compared to reworking or compensating for the entire batch, it was really a small amount.

Recycled PPS dares to claim it can match new material, but it relies not on tough talk, but on modification to make up for glass fiber length, volatiles, and batch differences one by one. The material cost is saved, but the verification of thermal aging cannot be skipped—if skimped, sooner or later you'll have to pay back both principal and interest. This is also the consistent practice of Ningbo Kolon New Materials Co., Ltd. for its recycled PPS customers: if the parts haven't completed enough thermal aging hours or the consecutive batch reports aren't all out, the material won't be rushed to be delivered.

(Note: The scenario is summarized based on common industry selection issues, not an actual transaction record.)

Clarify the operating temperature so that the grade of PPS matches correctly.

Below is a comparison table of common application scenarios and recommended levels; you can use it as needed. One more reminder before placing an order: recycled PPS is a modified material, so don’t just look at the price per ton—make sure to ask whether glass fiber is added, whether there is thermal aging data, and if continuous batch reports can be provided. Once you have clarified these questions, it’s not too late to discuss the price.

Application scenarioRecommendation LevelPrecautionsWhen not to use
General electrical control enclosureRecycled PPS-GF30Focus on strength and flame retardant V0Long-term high-temperature stress components
Thermal management/electronic water pumpRecycled PPS-GF40Test for thermal aging and coolant resistanceUnmodified short glass fiber material
SMT connector baseRecycled PPS-GF30/40No deformation after reflow solderingSMT using material with excessive precipitation
Coil skeletonRecycled PPS-GF60High rigidity and low expansionPoor flow material for thin-walled parts
Switch/relay baseRecycled PPS mineral-filledStable dimensions, good appearanceHigh-stress structural parts
Conductive shielding partsRecycled PPS-CFConductive and wear-resistantNatural transparent appearance parts

With recycled PPS, the savings are not just the minor price difference from 'used material'; it’s a re-confirmation of high-temperature resistance.

Recycled PPS, a cost-effective route for high-temperature electronic components

Ningbo Cologne New Materials Co., Ltd. supplies recycled PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) materials over the long term, covering pure resin, GF30/40/60, mineral-filled, carbon fiber reinforced, and other grades, applied in electronic housings, connectors, thermal management, sensors, and other scenarios. Why does glass fiber reinforced recycled material dare to compete with new materials? How to handle separate compliance boundaries for food contact?

Disclaimer: The brands and trademarks mentioned in this article belong to their respective original manufacturers. This article is a third-party material selection knowledge sharing. Specific grades, parameters, prices, certifications, etc., mentioned in the text are subject to the latest official information from manufacturers. This article does not constitute any procurement or investment advice.

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