Performance Plastic

High Performance Plastic Materials Guide

We Can Help Solve Your Plastic Problems

It is often spoken of polymers instead of plastics, since both terms are synonyms in the engineering-use. If the term high-performance thermoplastics is used, it is because both the standard and technical as well as high-performance plastics are always thermoplastics. Thermosets and elastomers are outside of this classification and form their own classes.

High performance plastics differ from common plastics and engineering plastics primarily by their temperature stability, but also by their chemical resistance and mechanical properties, production quantity, and price.

Performance Plastics

With so many plastic varieties on the market, how can you chose the best grade for your application? This guide includes technical information, including mechanical properties and chemical resistance data, for many of the top plastics including nylon, polypropylene, acetal, Ultem ®, and PVDF (Kynar ®).

High performance plastics are playing an important role in the automotive industry these days.

The light weight of plastics makes for more fuel efficient vehicles. It is estimated that every 10% reduction in vehicle weight results in a 5% to 7% reduction in fuel usage. Current economic and environmental concerns make the creation of more fuel efficient cars a top priority in the automotive industry. We partner with our customers' engineers to design and manufacture injection molded thermoplastic solutions for their most challenging projects.

Maximizing Component Performance

We leverage our material expertise to select and/or develop thermoplastic compounds possessing properties designed to meet or exceed desired performance attributes.

We are experts in the design and use of direct gated, multi-cavity molding. Direct gating eliminates material waste associated with runner systems, particularly applicable when molding expensive polymers such as fluoropolymers (e.g., PFA, FEP, PVDF), and other thermoplastics (e.g. PEEK, PEI, PEKK). Many of these same polymers are extremely sheer sensitive rendering direct gating of intricate, thin walled parts very challenging. However, we have developed proprietary injection molding tooling, equipment and processes making direct gating of these materials possible.

High performance polymers in applications

We have developed tooling techniques facilitating the over-molding of complex inserts commonly thought to be to be too thin or complicated to be restrained in the mold. These techniques, coupled with our ability to hold exceptionally tight tolerances and mold very thin walls, provides our customers greater design flexibility developing next generation products. With so many plastic materials on the market, how can you chose the best grade for your application

Fluoropolymers in general, have good dielectric properties and are resistant to atmospheric degradation.

While significantly less expensive than PCTFE or PFA, FEP is very difficult to process due to its low viscosity. However, Performance Plastics has developed proprietary tooling and processes enabling the molding of small, thin-walled, complex FEP parts.

High performance plastics

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Applications that require abrasion resistance, wear or a low friction coefficient, these engineering plastics offer superior performance when compounded with lubricants such as PTFE and graphite Heat and shock resistant applications in the glass and aerospace industries Heat resistant, emission proof, highly insulating or defined conducting materials for the semiconductor and electrical engineering industry Sterilisation and hydrolysis proof parts for medical devices Emission proof and radiation resistant components for vacuum technology and applications in the areas of X-ray technology and nuclear energy Components for the chemical industry

Performance Plastics Competitive Advantages

PEEK is high temperature resistant with excellent chemical and fatigue resistance as well as thermal stability. It exhibits superior mechanical and electrical properties, with a maximum continuous working temperature of 480°F.

PEEK is a tough, rigid, high strength transparent thermoplastic which maintains its properties over a wide temperature range from -150°F to above 300°F. Ultem® has a continuous use temperature of 332°F. It is used widely in the electronic market because of its good arc resistance and dielectric constant. It is also a prime material for medical applications because of its ability to withstand multiple autoclave steam sterilizations. *Ultem is a registered trademark of Sabic Plastics.

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Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc.; 2240 S. Dupont Drive, Anaheim, CA 92806

Phone:+1 714-978-3520