Category Archives: Engineering Plastics

Designing with Thermoplastics in Pump & Valve Components

Why are thermoplastics (engineering plastics) replacing metals and becoming a popular option for machined parts? To answer this question we’ve got a few blog posts that look at different aspects of why people are saying yes to engineering plastics. Pumps and valves have been around for about as long as humans have been constructing things to make life easier. Today pumps and valves occupy places in nearly every industry from medical, laboratory and testing equipment, to oil and gas, agriculture, transportation, buildings and more.

Designing pump and valve components from thermoplastics has the benefit of being made from materials that are corrosion resistant. But, even plastics withstand varying physical elements in different ways so it’s important to understand how plastics can also be affected by the physical elements they will be exposed to. The chart below looks at some of the most common plastic resins and gives a general guideline for how they stand up to potential corrosive elements.

 

Chart of Chemical Resistance for Common Polymer Resins / Thermoplastics

 

CHEMICAL RESISTANCE POLYMER RESINSA Deeper Look at Corrosion and What it Is
Corrosion is the deterioration of a material and its physical properties, Corrosion of a material occurs because of an undesirable reaction with its surrounding environment. In valve applications chemicals may attack the exterior as well as the interior surfaces. As you can see from the chart above both acids and alkalis will attack some materials. Corrosion begins with pitting that is not even visible to the eye. But once it begins corrosion continues to grow and eventually it leads to part failure. But even before creating a leak, pits increase turbulence which affects performance.

Corrosion is caused by more than just hazardous chemicals. As you can see from the chart of common thermoplastics above, sometimes an apparently benign fluid can react, as when sea water flows over brass.

How Can Corrosion of Machined Parts Be Stopped?

The best and most cost-effective way of controlling corrosion is preventing it. Studies have shown that an overall cost savings of 40% can be achieved when corrosion is prevented rather than treated. Prevention entails selecting an engineering plastic that will work best with the media being transported through the device. Whether you are using metals or thermoplastics, all environmental factors should be considered, including cleaning agents and things that might not be thought of as highly corrosive. In some cases a sacrificial layer could be used but these will have a finite life, and as the name implies the sacrificial material needs to be closely monitored and it will still require downtime to apply a new sacrificial layer.

Many customers that replace metal valves and gaskets with engineered plastics often note a number of positive benefits even if the initial part costs more.

  • Reduced maintenance
  • Reduced Downtime 
  • Reduced incidence of part failure
  • Longer lasting parts
  • Overall cost savings
  • Smooth surfaces allow for increased velocity and precision control of flow

Customers with ultra-high purity such as medical device, food processing, or water treatment applications to name a few, require very smooth interior surfaces with absolutely no place for contamination to lurk and with no risk of particles breaking free and joining the fluid. Even microscopic pitting can be cause for parts to be replaced because the pitting can allow for bacteria contamination. Once pitting occurs it is virtually impossible to clean a valve or gasket to the high standards required for high purity applications.

The highly smooth surfaces that can be achieved with machined thermoplastic materials can also reduce turbulence in fluids being transported. This allows for fluids to flow at higher velocities and allows for precision control of pumps.

Beginning with careful material selection, research and talking to experienced plastic professionals can lead to designing pump and valve components that can improve performance and increase life from day-to-day to your most demanding applications.

Do you have questions about material selection for seals and valve gaskets like:

What are the lower cost and lighter weight options to metal-to-metal sealing?

We are having thermal degradation issues with plastics in valve components, can we improve this?

Our seals and gaskets have to withstand higher and higher operating pressure. What  materials have higher compressive capabilities and creep resistance?

These are all questions I am able to assist you with. Feel free to contact me at the information below.

 

 

Montague-Sml-DSC_0304Kendall Montague
Industry Segment Manager

thyssenkrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

Kendall Montague is a veteran of the plastics industry with 16+ years experience working with OEM and MRO engineers assisting in developing thermoplastics material selection as well as custom design and fabrication using CNC equipment.

Active Member with the Energy & Polymer Group – Houston
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AIN Plastics Renews with DuPont for Vespel

In 1993, AIN Plastics was appointed E.I. DuPont’s first national distributor of Vespel® polyamide stock shapes, one of the industries most sophisticated materials. This month thyssenkrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division is proud to be continuing its relationship with DuPont, and now DOW with its renewal of the distribution agreement to continue as the Authorized Vespel® Stock Shapes Distributor for the Eastern half of the US and Canada. DuPont™ Vespel® continues to be the material of choice for high performance applications and it remains unmatched for its unique combination of properties achieved through DuPont’s proprietary Isostatic Molding Process. As for AIN Plastics, we have finalized and agreed upon an extension of our Distribution Agreement with DuPont.

Changes in the Plastics Business make Front page news!

As the Sales and Marketing Manager for DuPont™ Vespel® Authentic Shapes for thyssenkrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division, I get to live and breathe High Performance Plastics.  DuPont™, who invented DuPont™ Vespel® as well as Teflon®, Delrin®, and a multitude of other Engineering Resins known throughout the world, has been a partner with thyssenKrupp MAterials AIN Plastics Division for over 30 years. Through that time frame we

Space ShuttleFlying In The Sky. 3D Scene.

have seen 5 US presidents, the era of the space shuttle, the invention of the Internet, and mobile phones going from the size of a shoebox to being a must-have business and personal communication and entertainment device that fits in our pocket.  Through all of this, steady as a rock, DuPont was DuPont.  Always a technical leader, always an innovation resource in engineering plastics industry, DuPont materials and DuPont™ Vespel® are often considered the Gold Standard by which other plastics were measured.  So recently iStock_000060987992_Doublewhen the announcement that DuPont is merging with Dow was made it was an unexpected piece of news. But it is news that I look to as exciting.

What makes this announced merger of DuPont and DOW so exciting is the potential it brings to the table for more innovation.  This acquisition is called a “merger of equals” for good reason. Dow has a long history of technical advances in the Polyethylene business as well as other performance plastic families.  Meanwhile DuPont has been the leader in nylons and acetals stock shapes and injection molding materials.  I can only imagine what kind of new products these two technical companies and their extensive teams will dream up once they are together.

We will of course be watching as this proposed merger makes it’s way through all the legal channels and we look forward to the future with the new combined DOW DuPont. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions and I will be more than happy to help. To give you more information I’ve added a few links below to new and press releases about the DOW DuPont merger.

 

Press Release Regarding the DOW / DuPont Merger

The Washington Post Takes a look at DOW DuPont Merger and Company histories

USA Today DOW DuPont Merger News and Video

 

Photo-Hanson-DSC_0295Paul Hanson

Industry Segment Manager, DuPont™ Vespel®
thyssenkrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

Blog contributor Paul Hanson has been active in the Sales and Marketing of Engineering Plastics for over 20 years.  From Aerospace to Semicon, Paul’s expertise has been valuable to his customers and a key resource in specifying High Performance materials in demanding applications.

 

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Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

email Paul Hanson at: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

What’s That Plastic?

Have you ever come across a plastic material, a sheet, rod, or tube, in your shop or warehouse with no label and no way to determine exactly what it is? This can be a difficult challenge due to incredible number of variations that include all the machinable engineering plastics plus all the fillers and additives used to enhance or improve aspects of an engineering plastic’s performance under specific conditions.
However, there are some things you can do to get off to a good start on narrowing down the options.
We’ve put together a handy infographic on some simple do it yourself tests and how the most popular engineering plastics will react to them.

In addition to these methods take a look at our blog post on using the Burn / Flame Test to Identify Plastic Materials

 

A Plastics Guy in the Glass Industry

One of the most fascinating things about the Engineering Plastics Industry is that these materials are used in every industry, at least every industry I’ve come across so far, and that’s a lot! So when I recently visited a glass manufacturing plant I wasn’t entirely surprised to find they had a need for plastics.

As Old as Humans 
Glass was discovered by stone-age hunters in the form of obsidian long before it was first manufactured in any form. The first manufactured glass that we know of dates to Mesopotamia in the 16th century BC. In this day and age it’s hard to imagine a world without our automated glass manufacturing techniques. All you have to do is look at skyscrapers in any city. The beautiful glass that you see on the outside is engineered and produced to some amazing standards.  The same is true of the safety glass in every automobile on the road.  Without automated lines that take the sand, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate (soda ash and lime) through the process, cars would not be the same. Modern glass has improved safety, part life, and given designers a freedom to create a virtually endless array of shapes.

Modern-Day Glass Factories
Where do plastics enter into the modern-day glass factory? Inside glass plants, technology has led to many innovations that keep prices down and the design capabilities endless.  Automation allows glass to be consistently formed, tinted, laminated, and packaged, and all at high speeds compared to earlier methods. In this process the conveyors rather than humans handle the glass from furnace to delivery on the factory floor.  To keep the lines moving, glass is sent across conveyor lines while it is still at extremely high temperatures. This has created some challenges on the manufacturing side to be able to move the glass in a way that is gentle enough that the fresh material is not scratched, marred or broken. This is where Engineering Plastics offer benefits to the glass manufacturer as it can minimize these issues.

Glass Stops
Illustrations---Glass-HandlingOver the years glass plants have made stops, a small piece that acts as a ‘bumper’ of sorts. Glass hits the stop which helps to cushion and redirect hot glass as it moves along conveyor lines. Some plants have used phenolics or other plastics to make glass stops. Although these materials work, customers tell us they need to be replaced often as the high temperature of the glass degrades the plastic stops. DuPont™ Vespel® is a unique family of polyimide materials that many glass manufactures have moved to  because of their ability to withstand the high temperatures and impact of hot glass.  As one of the highest performing materials for high temperature environments, engineers have designed rollers, stops, fingers, and wear strips out of DuPont™ Vespel®.  In addition to performing well under extreme heat DuPont™ Vespel® has been noted for its ability to handle the constant impact of glass without deformation or causing marring, scratching, or breakage of the glass. While this material is not inexpensive, customers continue to specify DuPont™ Vespel® due to benefits that include  –

  • Reduced downtime of lines to replace stops
  • Reduced furnace downtime to cool and reheat while production lines are down
  • Minimize product loss due to scratches or other damage
  • Decrease downtime to clean up after product breakage occurs

In a recent application in an auto glass factory, we replaced a graphite based material used to make glass stops with DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5050.  The customer reported the service life of the stops improved over 5000%! It’s a great reminder to me as we look at engineering plastics that it’s not all about the initial cost of the material, it’s about the savings and improvements to your manufacturing process that can happen when you choose the right engineering plastic for the job. So, feel free to call up your local plastics professional when you are looking for improvements. We may or may not be the right fit, but if we are, you’ll be glad you made the call.

Photo---Paul-Hanson---ThumbnailPaul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

For more information about Engineering Plastics for Glass Stops download a pdf here Flyer – Glass Handling w Vespel 01-15

For more information about AIN Plastics please visit our website at ainplastics.com

Plastic Materials In Robotic Assisted Surgery

Over the course of the past fifteen years I have concentrated heavily on plastics for the medical device industry and I have been fortunate to have witnessed the incredible advancements that have been, and are still being made in this industry. Robotic assisted surgery is surly one of those advancements.

Advancements in Hip and Knee replacement technologies have grown by leaps and bounds from where they were when I began working with device OEM’s and likewise, polymers have advanced quite rapidly too.  Applications utilizing acetals were slowly surpassed by Polyetherimides and Polyphenylsulfones.  Fifteen years ago PEEK was barely known unless you were involved with the Oil and Gas or Aerospace industries.  Now, PEEK is used as a permanent implant in spinal, shoulder, and other applications.  The rapid advancements of plastics has been side by side with as the technology of surgical procedures has progressed.  Another area of growth for plastics in medical uses is that of certain polymers for both non-implant and implantable surgical procedures and these will continue to evolve as the technology moves ahead at warp speed.

Plastic Materials in Robotic Assisted Surgery

This brings me to Robotic Assisted Surgery.  Fifteen years ago as this type of surgery was being developed with funding from both DARPA and NASA (see below for links to information about these agencies),  little was really known about it. I’m sure many of the device manufacturers were aware that one day it would be a reality but I’m not sure how many truly believed that by 2014 it would become as prevalent as it is in todays surgical theater and how much it more it will transcend over the coming years.  Today Robot assisted surgeries have been used in many procedures across many surgical disciplines including joint replacement, open heart surgery, oral surgery and a variety of others. These robot assisted surgeries are more precise than any human can perform and although there is still a surgeon at the controls,  he or she is performing the surgery from a platform that allows the robot to actually make the movements that were once performed by the surgeons hands. The benefits to the patient are numerous and include less bleeding, greater accuracy, and less invasive,  just to name a few.  The future of this technology is virtually unlimited.

This image shows a traditional incision (left) vs. a robotic assisted approach (right).

So why am I writing about robotic assisted surgeries in a blog devoted to Engineering Plastics?  Good question.  Because as we move into the next decade I believe we will see more and more polymers used in these robotic platforms.  Maybe the applications of yesterday will be replaced with applications for the polymers of tomorrow.  If a robot can determine that the UHMW implant for a knee arthroplasty is between  25 mm and 35 mm will there be a need to have eight knee provisional trials for that procedure?  Maybe there will only be a need for four or maybe two or maybe none at all. In this day and age of less being more, as in less material waste and less time to production,  robots could be the best new tool in the medical industry. One thing is certain and that is robotic arms will undoubtedly be using high performance plastics to ensure they can withstand the speed and precision ensure they can be deemed reliable for the long-term.  This leads to the issue of preventative maintenance which will also be imperative in maintaining the effectiveness of these units.  As we move forward, it looks as though robotic assisted platforms are here to stay as well as the plastic that is used in these platforms today and on into the future.

Dave Piperi
ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division
Sales and Marketing Manager
Life Sciences

About Dave Piperi 
Dave is the Sales and Marketing Manager for ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division Life Sciences product offering. His focus is on Medical Device, BioPharma and Analytical Equipment markets. Dave has been with AIN Plastics for 15 years and during his time has held several positions including Sales Manager of AIN Plastics New York and Territory Manager.

Related Articles:

http://www.medgadget.com/2012/04/robot-assisted-prostate-surgery-fares-well-in-study.html

Article looks at the difference in incision between robot assisted and traditional surgery methods.

Keep up on all the latest DARPA news on Twitter DARPA on Twitter

See how DARPA is part of developments in medical as well as advanced prosthetics DARPA on YouTube

Read more about DARPA the Robotics Challenge

Visit the NASA website to get the latest news, connect with their blog, and more

AIN Plastics Here Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

In the search for Engineering Plastics there are numerous online places and several good size distributors. AIN Plastics is one of those distributors and they have recently been growing and adding locations around the United States. Here we take a brief look at AIN Plastics yesterday, today and tomorrow, and we see good things ahead!

Initially AIN Plastics began as a One Stop Shop Plastics distributor based in Mt. Vernon New York. AIN serviced the local area and provided a large print catalog as well as a special school catalog helping to make machinable plastics a part of shop classes.

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Back in the Day

The original AIN Plastics was a partnership between three gentleman, hence the name AIN. The remaining member of the original partners, Alex Gabay still resides in New York. Since his days with AIN Plastics he has enjoyed a quiet country life outside the city, but in a chat with him at a New York event last year, Alex talked about how he still loves to be able to visit New York City. He talked about how New York is a place that just gets into your blood. The “I” goes to a gentleman by the name of Irving. Unfortunately Irving passed away before things got underway, but the remaining partners kept the AIN name. Last but not least, Norman Drucker, the “N” in AIN continued on with Alex and was the hands on guy “in the pit”. In an early blog post about Mr. Drucker, it was noted by long time associate John Colleluori Norman “was right in there making it happen.” See more in our earlier post.

Alex Gabay with John Colleluori, AIN Plastics Yonkers Branch Manager
Norman Drucker, making it happen!
The Bullpen at AIN Plastics Mt. Vernon, NY

Since AIN Plastics became a part of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA in 1996 the company has seen an expansion into the western US. AIN Plastics President John Shepherd has seen the company through several new branch openings including the most recent locations, St. Louis, Missouri and Dallas Texas. In keeping with AIN Plastics focus on customer service each branch is staffed with branch managers, inside and outside sales staff that have a background in the plastics industry. Each branch is also able to offer custom cut to size on orders and customized inventory solutions. Additionally AIN is able to assist our customer with fabrication and other services.

In this day and age of online shopping where selecting a material is left to the customer to seek it out by way of google searches and shopping cart searches, AIN Plastics experienced staff is able to assist customers with the sometimes time consuming and tedious task of figuring out not only what is the best material, but what is the most cost effective material for a job. A little like Santa in “Miracle on Thirty Fourth Street” AIN sales people look to be partners in a customer’s business and that may mean selling a material that is not the necessarily the most expensive, but rather the one that fits the application at hand. As Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials are more often used to replace metal parts and as machinable plastics become a part of today’s increasingly high tech world many factors in material selection are involved. For a more in depth look at this issue see our blog post on Engineering Plastics and the Plastics Pyramid.

Where can you find AIN Plastics Today?

AIN currently has 14 offices and 13 stocking locations in the US. Additionally we stock materials at ThyssenKrupp facilities in California for our West Coast customers. Thanks to ThyssenKrupp Logistics AIN is able to ship anywhere in the US even if no branch is present. For sales support AIN also has a Business Development Team that works across the US in specific markets assisting customers with material selection for specific applications.

Map---AIN-Locations

AIN Plastics Locations

Florida
8143 Eagle Palm Drive
Riverview, FL 33578		 Georgia
1980 Shiloh Road
Building 7 Suite 150
Kennesaw, GA 30144		 Illinois
300 County Line Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
Indiana
8129 Zionsville Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46268		 Massachusetts
110 Shawmut Road
Canton, MA 02021		 Michigan
1750 E Heights Drive
Madison Heights, MI 48071
Missouri
13732 Rider Trail North
Earth City, MO 63045		 New York
60 Fullerton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10704		 Ohio
1360 Boltonfield Street
Columbus, OH 43228
Pennsylvania
499 Running Pump Road
Suite 16
Lancaster, PA 17601		 Texas
3001 Alouette Drive
Suite 100
Grand Prairie, TX 75052		 Virgina
1347 Diamond Springs Road
Suite 100
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

What Is AIN Plastics Tomorrow Looking Like?

AIN Plastics focus remains the same as it has in years past. There is still one number to call and that number automatically puts you in contact with the branch nearest you. 877.246.7700. We look to being our customer’s partner for the long term. That means continuing to offer you, our customer,  more services. For those times you just need to place that quick order an online shopping solution is on its way! We are also continuing our educational efforts through our blog, social media and email blast from Constant Contact. We want our customers to be the most informed and educated users of Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials out there because we know that means success with the materials you use, efficiency, and cost savings. All of those things combine to help all of us to keep our businesses growing and thriving from New York to, Florida, to St. Louis, and Dallas.

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

_N1C1196-Edit-cropAbout Lisa Anderson
Ms. Anderson has been ThyssenKrupp Materials AIN Plastics Division for over 2 years. She brings 20+ years of advertising, award winning graphic design, social media and marketing. She has worked in book publishing, advertising agencies, printing, manufacturing, and the apartment industry. Ms. Anderson has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI.

To learn more about AIN Plastics visit us at tkmna.com

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For more information on ThyssenKrupp Materials see a recent article on their history and growth 

What is Fracking and How does it Work?

Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing, a process that maximizes the output of natural gas and oil wells to make them productive.

How does hydraulic fracturing work?

When a well is fractured, an operator pumps a mixture of water, sand and a small amount
of chemicals into an oil or gas formation deep underground and applies pressure. The pressure fractures rock layers, releasing oil or gas reserves. The sand holds the fractures open to continue allowing the oil or gas to flow into the well.

Illustration---Fracking-01

As gas or oil comes to the well head under pressure, it brings with it the fracturing water that was pumped, along with natural brines that are present in the deeper layers of the earth. That “flowback” water is separated from the gas and oil at the surface, contained in steel tanks, and sent to deep injection wells for disposal.

Is hydraulic fracturing new?

No. Gas and oil operators have been using hydraulic fracturing around the country since it’s invention by George Mitchell in the late 1940s. (See article link below)

One popular method for creating fractures is the use of frac ports and sliding sleeves. Open hole packers isolate different sections of the horizontal well. A sliding sleeve is placed between each packer pair and is opened by injecting a ball inside the borehole. Typically, a completion string is placed inside the well. The string includes frac ports and open hole packers spaced to specifications.

Frac balls, typically made from an Engineering Plastic, are critical components in cutting edge downhole tooling used in hydraulic fracturing operations. Typically when creating multiple fractures in a wellbore, a completion string is placed inside the borehole with frac ports and sliding sleeves spaced between each section. In order to actuate each sleeve a properly sized frac ball is pumped along with the fracturing fluid inside the well.

Each ball is smaller than the opening in each of the previous sleeves but larger than the hole in the sleeve it is intended to open. The ball shall seat within the sleeve, closing the hole and exerting pressure to slide open the sleeve, opening the frac ports. Once the ports are open the fracturing fluid is diverted to the open hole space outside of the completion assembly causing the surrounding formation to fracture.

At the completion of each fracturing stage, the next sized ball is injected into the well causing the next sleeve to open and so on until all of the sleeves are open and multiple fractures are created within the well. The main advantages of this process being the speed with which the well can be penetrated hence reducing cost.

Engineering Plastics used in Hydraulic Fracturing

  • PEEK
  • TORLON®
  • G10-G11-FR4
  • DuPont™ Vespel®

The Engineering Plastics listed above are commonly found in seals, bushings, thrust washers, back-up rings, and logging tools. Many have properties that provide longer wear and high temperature resistance than more traditional materials.

As in nearly all industries today,  Engineered Plastics are becoming widely accepted as a solution to  bearing and wear issues. The oil and gas industry is no exception.  Engineered Plastics have been found to alleviate  some headaches in the extreme conditions the oil and gas industry meets when drilling deeper to tap into new resources.

Kendall Montague

National Sales Manager Oil & Gas
Thyssenkrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division

Connect with me on LinkedIn

 

Links to Related Items:

Animation of Baker Hughes completion and frac ball application. Frac Ball Application by Baker Hughes

Related Article: George Mitchell – The Inventor of Fracking 

ThyssenKrupp Materials NA AIN Plastics Division is a sponsor of the Energy Rubber Group

 

Engineering Plastics use Grows in Food Processing Equipment

iStock_000014977093LargeEngineering Plastics continue to replace metals as key components in food processing equipment. Plastics are often lighter and able to outlast traditional metal parts. A quick look through the variety of plastics available in today’s market shows an increasing number of engineering plastics that are compliant to FDA, USDA, 3A Dairy standards making them available in applications where they will come into direct contact with food. They are also being chosen for their
ability to create a quieter work environment.

With 2014 looking to be a great year for Food Processing equipment sales I wanted to share what we most find in food processing applications and why.

UHMW
UHMW continues to lead the way (by pounds sold in the United States) in the transformation from metal to plastic parts.  For more information on materials sold in the U.S. see this article by the American Chemical Council. Compared to steel UHMW is just 1/7th the weight. In addition UHMW is corrosion resistant. UHMW is a great option for room temperature applications like guides, paddles, and cutting surfaces.  Recent advances include the introduction of metal detectable versions that can be recognized by your detection systems in line.

Nylons
For bearing and wear applications, Nylon materials have been the workhorse for over 30 years.  Like UHMW, Nylon is also light weight, and provides lubrication – free operation making it a great material for producing bearings or bushings.  Gears and sprockets made of Nylon have been popular because they can reduce noise in work areas. They can also improve the efficiency of production lines conveying food and liquids in your plants by lasting longer than metals, which reduces downtime, and by allowing lines to run faster.

Acetals
For many components, Acetal is the best choice for metal replacement, and we find its popularity is growing quickly in the food processing industry.  Acetal (Delrin Homopolymer or CoPolymer brands like Acetron GP and Celcon) are very easy to machine, and their very low moisture absorption rates make them a good choice for the often wet environment of food processing.  Acetals are harder than Nylons and maintain dimensional stability where Nylons tend to be more flexible. In many applications Acetals can handle continuous use temperatures up to 210° F and they are typically compatible with most cleaning solutions, a huge plus in the food processing industry.

ERTALYTE®
A popular speciality material is Quadrant Engineering Plastics Ertalyte material.  Ertalyte has unique properties that allow it to wear like Acetal in wet environments and like Nylon in dry or unlubricated environments.  I like to think of it as giving you the best of both worlds! Ertalyte also is highly resistant to stains generated by things like tomato based sauces and green vegetables.  Ertalyte also has high dimensional stability that meets the demands of the highly precise machining tolerances required in filling pistons and fluid manifolds.

In looking to the future of food processing the demands are heavy. Companies are working hard to keep consumer prices in line while still making a profit. Food processing companies are achieving these goals by improving efficiency and creating better work environments. Plastics are an increasingly big part of the solution because their use in parts can improve line speeds, decrease maintenance downtime, and even make for a quieter work environment.

As I look at the Engineering Plastics and High Performance Materials we have here at AIN Plastics I’m pleased to see how they are being used to improve the food processing industry and I’m excited to see the new applications our customers are working on as well as the new materials our suppliers are always working on. If you have an application you’ve been scratching your head over, give us a call. We know there are lots of options and we can help you take some of the guess work out of finding out if Engineering Plastics are right for your application.

Paul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager
DuPont Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

email: paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com

For more information on Engineering Plastics visit http://www.tkmna.com/tkmna/Products/Plastics/Engineering/index.html

How Sales Reps Help You Find the Right Plastic Material

Have you set down with a plastics sales person only to find your sales rep hits

you with question after question about your application? Why is that?

More Questions? I just want some plastic!

More Questions? I just want some plastic!

Good sales people will ask probing questions about what you need, but in our busy days this may sometimes seem annoying or even invasive to a customer.  If you’ve ever wondered “why is this sales person all up in my business, I just need some plastic,” rest assured there is often a valid reason for all those questions, not just nosiness on the part of your sales rep.

Some terms are standard to a market or industry; others may be subjective or open to interpretation.  Just like a game of catch phrase two people may describe the same thing but in a different way.  In this series of blog posts I’m going to address some frequent questions and terms; not as a vocabulary lesson but rather a basic overview as a communication tool to help when talking to a plastics sales representative.

Plastics-Triangle

The plastics triangle gives an overview of the basic types of plastics. For more about plastic types click here.

Plastics may often look and feel alike, but, in reality, there are nearly as many different varieties and formulations of plastics as there are uses of them.  A benefit of purchasing from a distributor is that they stock hundreds of types of plastics from numerous manufactures in their facilities so one of the things a sales rep can do is to help customers pin point which plastic it is they really need.

 

Question and Answer is the simplest form of two-way communication.

One of the best ways to identify the material a user needs is by asking questions, in particular regarding the application.  Often this will narrow down the possibilities tremendously.  The material request that probably makes anyone in the polymer/plastics business cringe most is- “You know it’s plastic, just the regular kind.”  By inquiring as to the intended use of the item (application) a competent sales person can at least direct the customer to a category of materials from which to choose.

Questions that help select the right plastic material…
What is the intended use of this plastic material?
Is the application Static or Dynamic?
Is the application Structural or Wear?
These are all snazzy terms used to define if an item is going to be stationary/immobile or if it will be moving.  The answer to this question will likely lead toward one of two classifications of thermoplastics; Amorphous or Crystalline. Looking at structural vs. wear means looking at the stress or friction a part might be under when its in use.

Friction is the resistance that one surface encounters when moving along another surface. A part that does not move, may still come into contact with one that does (mating parts or rollers are good examples). The friction may cause wear and it can also be a source of increased heat.

A particular set of properties might be more or less crucial to a given application, we do not engineer said applications but rather give you the best tools and guidance to do so!

Lin Poulin
Telemarketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

Citations for this blog post:

American Chemistry Council.  Professor Plastic: How Many Type of Plastics are There?  Post 2012/01/ Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products. Design and Fabrication Reference Guide
Ensinger. Ensinger essentials, Technical know-how for plastic applications
International Association of Plastic Distributors. IAPD, Introduction to Plastics, a Training Manual

A Look at Semicon West 2013

This month I attended the Semicon West show in San Franciso, California.  Semicon is the largest industry trade show for the Computer Chip market and all who service it.

Against a backdrop of declining Personal Computer sales and a flat year in the equipment that makes the chips for the PC’s, I was eager to see if this was going to be a good show.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the industry is not so much contracting as it is instead getting ready for the next “big thing” and there were a few I’d like to highlight here.

The “Internet of Things” Emerges at Semicon West This Year

An interesting concept floating around at Semicon West this year was the emerging “Internet of Things”.  Steve Wigley, VP of Marketing at LTX-Credence, presented in a session where he discussed this topic in some detail.  In a nutshell, more and more things are connecting to the internet!  Many of these “things” communicate thru Radio Frequency (RF) and as items become RF enabled they are void of the need for wires to pass the data around. So look for fewer wires and more devices around your home and office!

Drevil_million_dollars

Yes, I’d like one trillion sensors please.

One Trillion Sensors!
The term “Trillion Sensors” was also knocked around throughout Semicon West. The term highlights the number of sensors needed to collect the data that is estimated will be computed in our world soon.
Tech giant companies including the likes of Intel are talking about putting as many as 20 billion connected devices into use in the next 5 years.  The number of chips to handle this would be huge, but the number of sensors generating the data is downright mind-boggling. From the perspective of what I do, I can certainly see that these technologies will in crease the need and use of lightweight materials such as DuPont™ Vespel®, and Quadrant Engineering’s PEEK which are currently staples in chip production equipment.

One good example of this emerging technology is your vehicle. Today your car talks to you and tells you when it’s time for a lube job, oil change, or tire rotation.  The next generation of vehicles will have additional sensors that will determine if things like the alignment of your wheels is correct and, if adjustment is needed, the sensor will handle it directly with the factory. It made me think about how technology is changing the face of customer service as well.

Connecting Us for Better Health Care?

Semicon also featured displays showing how circuits can be printed right onto our skin. These breakthroughs in technology show how circuits on skin can hold a variety of possibilities, from monitoring the bodily functions of patients without the use of so many chords and connections to machines, to immediately reporting changes in a patient that may be helpful in a recovery room setting where seconds can make a big difference in survival.

Driving much of this development will be the new “sensors” (see photo on right) designed to gather data.  Each sensor will run through a processor which will take the information and that, in turn, will drive an action like sounding an alarm at the nurse’s station for example.

Semicon West Speaker Looks at Dollars and Market Value. The Message – Mobile Devices Rule!

I have heard it said that mobile devices are now used more often to access the web than traditional computers and Semicon West offered proof of that this time around. In fact, I think I read it in an article I saw on my iPad. A speaker at Semicon noted a new milestone that occurred the week of the convention when the dollar value of semiconductor revenue from mobile devices surpassed the revenue from traditional PC and Notebook computers. So, I it certainly appears the trend toward smaller and more powerful technology will  continue its evolution in coming years and I expect we will see much more of that at next year’s Semicon West.

If you are looking at your calendar for next year. I say be sure to put Semicon West 2014 on it folks. From what I saw at Semicon 2013, the 2014 show will be the dawn of even more new and amazing technology. Attendees will never be thinking “Oh its the same old thing at Semicon West.” On the plastics front, look for more lightweight materials like Semitron MP370 to become popular in the all important test sockets which ensure chips are as perfect as possible. If you haven’t heard of Semitron MP370 yet, check out the overview on our website by clicking here

I for one am already looking forward to seeing what’s in store for next year at Semicon West 2014. Of course I’ll be on the lookout for how plastics are being utilized in this field and I’m sure there will be a good showing of that I won’t want to miss learning about. Will I see you there? If you’d like to learn more about Semicon West, keep tabs on the news for 2014 by visiting their website www.semiconwest.org

Paul Hanson

Sales and Marketing Manager, DuPont™ Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com
Phone: 770.362.9712

www.tkmna.com