3. Applications

Epoxy resins are the most versatile of all plastics. They can be found in almost every industrial sector. Whenever possible, we'll indicate below which other polymers compete with epoxies, but in practice, there's no overlap between the various materials, and there's rarely any hesitation between epoxy and polyester, epoxy and silicone, epoxy and aminoplasts... However, the choice between epoxy and polyurethane is more delicate, given that the thermosetting reactions of these two materials are similar: polyurethanes, which crosslink by polyaddition like epoxies, have shrinkages of the same order, and it is therefore possible to cast large, massive parts with either material. Other considerations then come into play:

• impact resistance, resistance to ultraviolet rays, abrasion resistance, price, in favor of polyurethanes ;

• ...