What term describes plastic parts that can be reshaped by heating?

• A. Elastomers
• B. Thermoplastics
• C. Thermosets
• D. Composites

Answer: (B)

Reshapability with heat points to thermoplastics. These polymers soften when heated, flow into a new shape, and then harden as they cool, a cycle that can be repeated many times. That makes them ideal for forming and reshaping plastic parts in auto body work and manufacturing, since you can heat, mold, cool, and reuse them without changing their basic chemistry. Thermosets, once cured, form a cross-linked network that doesn’t melt, so they don’t reshape with heating. Elastomers are elastic and stretchy, but their defining trait isn’t the ability to be remolded by heat. Composites are combinations of a matrix and reinforcement, and their heat behavior depends on the matrix—so the term that best describes plastic parts reshaped by heating is thermoplastics.