High Heat Materials - The Expert's View

Jul 30, 2010 - High Heat and Transparent Polyamide Films by Duane B. Priddy (R&D Highlight)

Polyamide resins have excellent toughness, strength, and chemical resistance, which make them useful as engineering resins for a wide variety of applications. For many applications it would be desirable to use a transparent polyamide, but...
Jul 23, 2010 - Micropumps for medical applications by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

On the occasion of the latest German Medica/Compamed worldfair, the German company Bartels Microtechnik, which is specialized in innovative applications of micro systems technology (MST) in the branches of classical consumer goods,...
Jul 20, 2010 - Plastic Parts for Under the Bonnet Applications by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

BASF is using its new polyamide (PA) grade Ultramid Endure for under-the-bonnet applications. The material is a glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide that shows high resistance to heat (claimed to withstand 220°C temperature continuously...
Jul 12, 2010 - Indian Police armed with UHMWPE-based body armors by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

MKU, a body armors's supplier, is using Honeywell’s Spectra Shield® and Gold Shield® composite materials to provide bullet resistance to Indian paramilitary and police forces. Strands and fibers made of white ultra-high molecular...
Jul 06, 2010 - PEN eases rolling, unrolling & carrying flexible displays by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

Japanese company Tejin in partnership with DuPont has rolled out optical grade Teonex® polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) film for use in flexible displays. PEN provides high rigidity and can give firmness to very thin films too (approx 1...
Jul 05, 2010 - PA high-heat resins extend "Under The Hood" functionalities by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

For under-the-hood (UTH) applications (turbochargers, air ducts) in automotives, DSM has introduced two high-heat resins - Stanyl Diablo OCD2300 and Akulon Diablo, using polyamide (PA46) material. The resins aim at providing reduced weight...
Jul 01, 2010 - High-performance PEEK housing for sensors by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The American company Advanced Sensor Technologies (AST) has developed a new range of housings for sensors by using a unreinforced polyethetetheketone (PEEK) material i.e. KetaSpire™ KT-880 NT grade from the Belgium material producer Solvay...
Jun 21, 2010 - LCP interconnects improve molding with precision by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

Low-warpage, glass and mineral-filled liquid crystal polymer (LCP) grade 'Vectra E488i' from Ticona is now being used in socket strip CLP-series electronic connectors from Samtec Inc. These are used in electronic board-to-board interconnect...
Jun 16, 2010 - High-performance thermoset-based heat shield structure for the NASA Orion spacecraft by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) program is the conceptual component of the Vision for Space Exploration that became known as the Orion spacecraft. The concept of this innovative vehicle was officially announced in a speech given by...
Jun 15, 2010 - PEEK replaces steel in hydraulic coupling system by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The German company Parker Hannifin, a world leader in the manufacture of motion and control technologies and systems for the mobile, industrial and aerospace markets, was aiming to re-design its RSD quick couplings in order to reduce the...
Jun 15, 2010 - Polyester-based topcoats impose threat on Fire Gods by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

Scott Bader has upgraded its intumescent topcoats, commercially known as 'Crystic Fireguard 75PA Excel'. Primarily meant to shield the surface of a cured fiber-reinforced plastic laminate from fire, it is also suitable as a...
Jun 10, 2010 - Deep groove ball bearings made from PA-4,6 by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

A new generation of deep groove ball bearings has been designed by one of the world leaders in rolling bearings and ball bearings, i.e. the Sweden company SKF Group. The aim was to reduce energy consumption by at least 30%. The improved...
May 27, 2010 - LCP guards microwave ovens from temperature variance by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

To withstand an optimal temperature of up to 250°C in microwave ovens, AEG-Electrolux has shielded its internal door panels by using the E440i grade of Vectra liquid crystalline polymer (LCP). In contrast, the polymer can also withstand...
May 25, 2010 - Ultrasound transducer housing by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The American company Britec SA, Inc., which is a leading manufacturer of ultrasonic transducer products including thickness gauge, flaw detection and nuclear transducers, has chosen a 30% carbon fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK)...
May 24, 2010 - Heat-stable Nano-composite molding materials by Duane B. Priddy (R&D Highlight)

This invention talks of a nanocomposite composition having improved heat stability. It is well known that the polymer oxidation involves free radicals and that free radicals are decomposed in the presence of traces of certain transistion... (1 Member Reaction)
May 21, 2010 - Now honeycombs minus adhesives! by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

Plasticell put on its thinking cap and came up with an innovative way to produce light-weight thermoplastic honeycombs, made of fiber-reinforced Victrex Aptiv film. For this, the company used the laser-welding process and replaced the...
May 13, 2010 - Blowmolded Elastomers Energize Automotive High-Performance Engines by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

MAHLE has clubbed its two-component air duct with the intercooler and thrust lever body of the high-performance twin-turbo engine from BMW. For this purpose, stiff and elastic DuPont Hytrel HTR4275 thermoplastic polyester elastomers were...
May 13, 2010 - Improved Dimensional Stability on Large (Automobile) Parts by SpecialChem (Innovation Brief)

For thermoplastic parts to maintain their dimensional stability even in high heat conditions, BASF has made available its low-warpage version ‘Ultradur S4090 GM11’. The new product is basically prepared by using a blend of polybutylene...
Apr 09, 2010 - PA-4,6 replaces aluminum in LED lamp by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

Aluminum is typically used to produce the housing of the light emitting diodes (LEDs) lamps but the Dutch group Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) has selected a thermally conductive polyamide-4,6 (PA-4,6) grade to manufacture its latest...
Feb 15, 2010 - Plastics Advance Fuel Cell Technology Solutions by SpecialChem (Article)

Fuel cells, despite being in the nascent stage of development, are viewed as a potentially vast market for plastics with reinforced thermosets and thermoplastics the most likely materials of choice for the manufacture of bi-polar plates,... (1 Member Reaction)
Feb 11, 2010 - Turbocharger air duct made from PPS by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

Röchling Automotive, Northern Italy in collaboration with the Celanese subsidiary Ticona has developed a turbocharger air duct by using polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) materials i.e. Fortron™ grades from Ticona for the Volkswagen Golf TDI...
Jan 22, 2010 - New thermoplastics springs by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The UK company Lee Spring Limited, a leading spring manufacturer, has developed innovative thermoplastic-based springs to meet the growing demand of its customers for springs that combine the strength of metal together with the special...
Nov 06, 2009 - Innovative clamp block system for aircraft by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

A collaborative industrial project between the Swiss company Icotec and the German firm Airbus Bremen GmbH has allowed to develop innovative thermoplastic-based clamp block system by using a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material together...
Nov 04, 2009 - Increasing Tg of Nylon composite films by the addition of talc by Duane B. Priddy (R&D Highlight)

This paper describes the development of functionalized talc which significantly raises the glass transition temperature of nylon composite films. This enhancement of the thermal properties works only with certain talcs containing carbonate... (4 Member Reactions)
Oct 29, 2009 - Composite panels for fighter aircraft by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), a supplier to Northrop Grumman Corp on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft program, has designed innovative structural composite panels for the new F-35 multi-role fighter aircraft. These composite panels...
Oct 02, 2009 - New halogen-free, high performance PA grade by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The Dutch material producer DSM Engineering Plastics has unveiled a new halogen-free, flame retardant, high temperature polyamide grade that suits for electronic applications such as memory card connectors, laptop memory module connectors...
Oct 01, 2009 - PEEK film for loudspeaker cone membrane by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The German audio speaker manufacturer Audio Technology Engineering (ATE) has selected a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) film supplied by the American company Victrex i.e. Victrex™ Aptiv™ film in order to produce the cone membrane of its latest...
Sep 29, 2009 - New PEEK grades for complex geometries by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The American material producer Victrex has announced the introduction of a new carbon fiber reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) grade i.e. Victrex® PEEK™ 90HMF that has been specially designed for the production of complex geometries...
Sep 28, 2009 - Stock shapes made from PEEK for implantable medical components by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

On the occasion of the 2009 annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), The Belgium material producer Solvay Advanced Polymers LLC has launched a new range of stock shapes made from polyetheretherketone (PEEK)...
Sep 22, 2009 - Clamp block system for aeronautics by ISPA (Innovation Brief)

The Swiss company Icotec in collaboration with the German firm Airbus Bremen GmbH and the plastic converter Composite Flow Moulding (CFM) has developed an innovative composite-based clamp block system for aircraft. This new system that...