Plastics are made of hydrocarbon chains combined in different ways that give rise to products with varying properties. Plastics made with long straight chains that are tightly compacted together are rigid and strong, while plastics made with many branched chains tend to be flexible and stretch more easily.

Plastics are the most widely used material on the planet due to their combination of properties that can be adapted for specific applications. Packaging products, building and construction materials, components for the automotive industry, medical products, and many household products are made from or contain plastic. Their excellent insulating properties make them ideal to insulate electrical installations. Waterjet cutting is the ideal technique to cut plastics without melting the edges of the cut.