Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) is the most common material used for ID and credit cards. It is an extremely common polymer developed in Germany in the 1920s. It is most known for its use in plumbing pipes, but is also used in hundreds of other products such as raincoats, food containers and artificial limbs. PVC is a thermoplastic, meaning that heat softens it and allows it to be be easily molded into shape. The addition of chlorine gives PVC flame-resistant qualities that make it commonly used as insulation for electrical wires.
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