What Are High Performance Plastics

Lately it seems like everyone I come across that uses plastics in their business is talking about the ‘performance of plastics’ and how plastics compare to each other.  But, what are high performance plastics and what are the basic criteria for material selection? Do you really need high performance plastics in your application? The criteria for selecting plastic materials typically comes down to a combination of performance variables that best meet the needs of your application, or how the material will be used.  Once those needs are met there is most likely a range of materials to choose from and often the least expensive material can be the starting point for writing a specification.

What Are High Performance Plastics?

In looking at our trusty Plastics Triangle we can see the top two tiers are called out as High Performance Materials

Plastics-Triangle-High-PerformanceFrom the triangle we can also see these plastics all work under very high temperatures. If we look at factors such as wear resistance or the ability to take a lot of pressure, the crystalline side offers the absolute toughest materials for a job. At the very top the toughest materials of all don’t fall under either Amorphous or Crystalline categories, but rather a category all their own.

Why not Just Choose the Highest Performance?

If you purchase plastic materials you already know the answer to that question – PRICE! It can be very true that you get what you pay for and higher performance can mean more costly material. However, this is a careful balancing act, because a material that costs a bit Clip---downtime-graphicmore up front can be more economical in the long run. Buying a material that is right for a particular job can mean replacing parts less often, less maintenance, less downtime and more up time, and that improved efficiency can mean dollars in your pocket.

Why Are High Performance Materials Being Chosen More Often?

Clip---Limiting-PV-Compressive-StrengthManufacturing and industrial applications are increasing speeds, loads are increasing, and we are working in more extreme environments. Therefore the demands on materials increase too.  Materials that operate at relatively slow speeds (less than 50 feet / minute) with light loads (less than 5 psi) may work well with UHMW or Nylon.  But when the demands increase, we need to look to materials like Vespel SP-21 which can handle 350,000 PV unlubricated!
You may have also heard of ULTEM®, Radel®, Torlon®, or Techtron® PPS which are also  capable materials that fit into the high performance category.

How do you Select a High Performance Material?

Let’s start first by asking a question –

“Is your application a

bearing and / or wear application?”

The group of materials that perform best in bearing and wear applications are found in the Crystalline Family of Engineering Plastics.  When looking at these materials you will likely want to know two things:

1) What is the continuous running temperature of the application
2) What is the PV (pressure or force x velocity).

Knowing these two things can go a long way in figuring our which plastic material will give you all the performance you need for the best possible value.

I encourage you to find a good partner to work with you as you compare and contrast the different materials out there so that you can find the best material for your application.  That is ultimately the best way to find the best performance / value for your money.

 

Paul Hanson

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

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

 

AIN Plastics “Get Framed” Event

IMG_0176

The Gabarron Center for the Arts in Manhattan was the site for the AIN Plastics “Get Framed” event.

Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts in Manhattan is not the place you might typically think of to go to when you want to find out about plastics, but on June 6, 2013 this Manhattan Art Gallery hosted the unveiling of a very special piece of acrylic at the AIN Plastics “Get Framed Event.”
Evonik ACRYLITE® OP3 with UV protection in a 101 x 150 inch 1/4 inch thick sheet is the largest UV sheet manufactured in the U.S. and it is the perfect material for large pieces of art or items in need of preservation and display. The AIN team has fondly named it “The Monster Sheet.” John Colleluori, Branch Manager for AIN Plastics Yonkers stated this ACRYLITE® material is available exclusively from AIN Plastics, and it is so special that we felt it deserved a true New York Gallery unveiling. AIN Plastics will stock these sheets for easy delivery to museums, galleries and preservation specialists. AIN Plastics President, John Shepherd noted, “Our unique product offering combined with the high service requirements of this industry makes it an attractive and profitable market for AIN’s distribution model.”
Over 80 people from the New York gallery, framing, and museum industry gathered at Gabarron Carriage House Center for the Arts and enjoyed an evening of hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Evonik brought in key specialists and provided educational demonstrations for guests. Werner Mashig, Evonik Product Manager for Lighting demonstrated ACRYLITE® LED material, an innovative way to illuminate art and photos with the use of ACRYLITE® LED. Using a simple channel frame with a single strip of LEDs placed at the edge of ACRYLITE® LED, images measuring up to 39″ can be uniformly illuminated. Evonik’s Bud Frega – was demonstrating the advantages of ACRYLITE® Optical mar resistant acrylic which is also chemical resistant so it can be cleaned with common household cleaners such as Windex®. Also at his table was ACRYLITE® non-glare (P99) which minimizes glare and reflection at any angle and ACRYLITE® framing grade (FF3) which is our premier acrylic glazing product guaranteed to be defect free. Evonik Adhesive specialist Andy Baumler was on hand demonstrating ACRYLITE® UV filtering (OP3) to show how ACRYLITE® provides the highest protection against damaging UV light as compared to other UV acrylics. Using a blacklight and two identical photos, the non ACRYLITE® photo was brighter indicating saturation of harmful UV rays while the ACRYLITE® side remained dark, showing a higher level of UV protection. Andy also spoke about ACRIFIX® Specialty Bonding Agents including solvent and reactive cements. In addition he was speaking about ACRIFIX® AC1010 which is a specially formulated cleaner that eliminates static charge.
John Collelouri noted the entire “Get Framed Event” was a collaboration brought about by the strategic partnership between AIN Plastics and Evonik CYRO. “We could not have created such a fantastic and successful event without the support of the entire branch staff, our marketing department and without our strategic partners at Evonik CYRO.” Antoinette Spages, Laura Torsiello and Kanika Mohal helped with finding the venue and lining up the presenters while Lisa Anderson developed marketing materials and promoted the event on our social media. Carolyn Hayduk assisted with gifts for event attendees. The entire Yonkers team dedicated themselves to delivering personal invitations created in Evonik CYRO acrylic Blue P-95 just for the event.
The evening provided an excellent opportunity for building new and stronger relationships with customers by providing education and a first hand look at the materials in use as well as the opportunity to ask questions and talk with industry professionals. It also provided a great opportunity to build a stronger relationship with an already strong strategic partner, Evonik CYRO.

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See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

 

To learn more about all the ACRYLITE® materials available through AIN Plastics visit the Sheet Plastics section of our website. You can also talk to someone directly by calling 877.246.7700.

www.tkmna.com

Plastics for Medical Device Applications, Where’s the Innovation?

I began working with Orthopedic medical device manufacturers in the late 90’s .  Back then we had the typical materials for the Orthopedic industry. Those included PPSU, PEI, PP, PE, POM-C and of course UHMW. The applications utilizing these materials were all pretty much the same: provisional trials for knees hips and shoulders, instrumentation handles, impactors, bearings and implants amongst other applications. In many industries we hear about new materials being developed on a regular basis, but in medical it almost seems time is standing still. Where’s the innovation for medical device applications?

Polymer Technologies for Medical Remain Virtually Unchanged

Not a lot has changed over the years on the Polymer side to really catapult plastics into a place up there with the Ti Eli’s and CoCr of their alloy counterparts.  Sure, we’ve seen a nice niche’ for Heat Stabilized Polypropylene used in Surgical Caddies and some filled materials primarily BaSO4 used in PPSU and PEI, so they are radio opaque and are visible under X-Ray. We’ve also seen some of the carbon fiber composites with a PAEK base adopted in a variety of roles from targeting guides to external fixation devices.

Let’s not forget about PEEK either, which has played a significant role in medical devices for the past 15 years.  Unfortunately the majority of the applications for that material are for implants.  Although there have been a variety of other applications using PEEK that are not of the implantable variety,  utilizing PEEK that is approved for 24 hour direct contact with the body has only begun to flourish over the last few years.  PEEK Classix which is approved for human implant up to 30 days has also seen a dramatic rise in popularity not only in Orthopedic, Spine and Trauma applications but dental applications as well.  But Implant Grade PEEK per ASTM  F2026 has really been the most popular of all of the medically approved PEEK variations with spinal cages being far and away the biggest reason for that.

The current state of medical plastics innovations leads to many questions. When is the next generation of FDA approved (Cl. VI/ ISO:10993) polymers going to debut? What will those breakthrough materials be?

Why has it been so long since we have seen innovations in polymer materials for medical use?
– Is it because of the fear of the liability risk?
– Is all the requisite testing that is involved in bringing that kind of innovative polymer to market holding up efforts?
– Have scientists not yet developed a material  that can compete in price and performance to a PEEK or PPSU?
– Will the next generation of polymer be a quantum leap supplanting current materials that have been mainstays in the market like a PPSU?
– Will it offer not only compressive and tensile strengths to compete with our alloy counterparts but the elastic modulus and lightweight performance that the market demands?  I for one, am hopeful that will be the case.

On Another Related Note, Let’s Talk About how the FDA may Be Impacting the Development of Materials for Medical Applications

In July/August of 2012 the FDA submitted new guidance for “Acceptance and Filing Reviews of Pre-Market Approval (PMA) Acceptance” for Medical Devices and in Dec 2012 / January2013 this new guidance was implemented.  With the new guidance the FDA has put greater emphasis on qualifying that all materials are safe and effective in the way they are used in the application. Plastics being a major component used in many surgical procedures are now required to be fully qualified where they may not have been in the past.   Some of the main concerns of plastics being used is not necessarily what the chemical composition or molecular chain is, but rather, what exactly is in them?  We know that PPSU is used in medical procedures and can have direct body contact of bone, blood and tissue .  The real question beyond that is what makes that material blue, brown or green?
– Are the compounds that turn that naturally amber PPSU blue,  safe and effective?
– Does that material meet the FDA requirements for percentages by weight and have those specific compounds and percentages been tested to show they are safe for the general public?
The onus of proving these things out  does not fall in the laps of the FDA it falls in the laps of the device manufacturers, the material suppliers, the shapes producers and the resin manufacturers.   The device market has good reason to be concerned as well.  They want to ensure they are putting out safe, reliable and effective products.  The last thing they need is a product recall or worse a class action lawsuit. We know that plastics provide many benefits including lighter weight, wear resistance, chemical resistance and more and as I see developments in other industries I look toward the future of new plastics for medical devices with great hope and I hope you will too.

Dave Piperi

Sales and Marketing Manager
Medical Materials
ThyssenKruppMaterials NA
AIN Plastics Division

To learn more about AIN Plastics and our materials for medical applications please visit our website or contact our Medical Technologies Group toll free: 877.770.6337.

email: david.piperi@thyssenkrupp.com

 

 

AIN Plastics in the Community

Everyone that knows AIN Plastics knows we sell plastics. Engineering plastics, sheet and rod materials, high pressure laminates, plastic tubing, medical plastics…. The list goes on. But behind all that are AIN Plastic’s people. Although these people are full-time plastics professionals with many decades of experience, they are also people who get involved in their community. So, this week I thought we’d share one of the events AIN Plastics is doing in their community.

This week, we are looking at Yonkers, New York. On a side note, New York State is the birthplace of AIN Plastics so AIN has a long history here. (See our post on AIN Plastics Founder, Norman Drucker). Over its many decades the Yonkers team has enjoyed a great relationship and ties to the community so when the TKMNA (ThyssenKrupp Materials NA) Good Neighbor Contest began, Branch Manager John Colleluori and his team knew exactly what they wanted to do. They wanted to raise money for New York State’s only independent, specialty children’s hospital, Blythedale Children’s Hospital. Blythedale is one of only 19 pediatric specialty hospitals in the U.S. and it has been in business for over 120 years. They also have the largest pediatric therapy department in New York State. See more about the hospital, their stories and more at www.blythedale.org.

The team at AIN knows it takes a lot of community support to keep this great institution growing so they held a raffle. Each team member sold raffle tickets to friends and family for $2.00 each. It was a close race but AIN Plastic’s George Coles sold the most tickets. The winner of the raffle was one of Yonkers landmarks, Angelina’s Restaurant. The owner, Lou Dinapoli won a night at the movies, donated AIN Plastics Yonkers.

John Colleluori stated, “Our team raised $1,185.00 which we donated to the hospital last week.” John went on to say, “We really appreciate everyone who took part in this community event and to Angelina’s for their generosity.” We had a great time and we are looking toward what we will do for our next event.

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.tkmna.com

 

Machined or Molded Plastic Parts – What Are the Differences?

A plastic part by any other name would still be a plastic part, wouldn’t it? Yes it would. But the way those plastic parts produced; either by molding plastic parts or by machining plastic parts are dramatically different. Those differences in the process of making plastic parts can result in big differences in lead times, cost, and quality. Below are things to consider when looking at how to manufacture plastic parts and some answers that may help you to decide.

How Many Plastic Parts do you Need to Make?

MOLDED: Molded Plastic parts have been around since the first machine for the process was patented in 1872 by John Wesley Hyatt and his brother Isaiah so its easy to see how this became one of the standard processes for creating plastic parts. Mold machines are used to run mass produced plastic parts from tooth brushes to auto parts and everything in-between. Creation of the mold(s) costs thousands of dollars, requires time up front to make the mold(s) and the molds require maintenance over their life and storage when not in use.

MACHINED: Depending on the project, volumes from 25 to 5,000 parts can often be machined more cost effectively than molded. For small parts, you may have a lower final cost by using high performance screw machines that can run circles around expensive multi-cavity molds. This means shorter lead times than molded parts and little up front cost. Machined parts don’t require secondary machining to clean a part once it is ejected from the mold.

Will You Need to Make Changes to Your Part Design?

MOLDED: Parts made from molds require that the mold be made first which is more time and expense up front. In addition a mold will require maintenance over it’s service life and storage space when it isn’t in use. Changes to a mold are costly in terms of time and dollars to either change or make a new mold, depending on the changes needed.

MACHINED: Machined parts allow for shorter lead times and flexibility in making design changes because they are run directly from a CAD file. Overall, machining can be used to create very complex parts including parts with undercuts and thick walls and the materials are more homogenous across the length and width of the part.

How Important Are Tight Tolerances and Dimensional Stability?

MOLDED: Every plastic behaves differently. But in general plastic parts made from molds may not be as dimensionally stable as machined parts. There is more chance the parts will not be as homogeneous across the length and width of a part. The molding process is not ideal for large parts or where there are thick walls. Tolerances of +/- .005″ are typically the best that can be achieved in molded parts. This compares to +/- .001″ for machined parts.

MACHINED: Many of today’s high performance engineering plastics, such as DuPont Vespel, PEEK, PBI or others can take extreme temperatures of 250 or even 450 degrees and remain dimensionally stable. Many of these materials are also chemical resistant. Additionally machined parts have less internal stress and tolerances of +/- .001″ or better can be achieved.

How Large or Complex Are Your Parts?

MOLDED: Small to mid-size plastic parts can work well. Large volumes can be run fast. But large plastic parts with thick walls, or complicated undercuts can be an issue for mold design. Materials cooling at different  temperatures within a mold can result in more internal stress and a less homogeneous material. Undercuts can pose a mold design challenge with how to release the part from the mold. Plastic parts fresh from the mold may require secondary machining to remove flash, parting lines, or ejector marks, adding to production time and cost.

MACHINED: Large parts and parts with complicated undercuts can be made quickly and efficiently by machining processes. Thick cross sections will have higher, more consistent mechanical properties. Again, because there is no mold to be made, the up front investment and lead time is much shorter. Machining also handles threading extremely well and machined parts will have no parting line, ejector marks, or flash. The availability and selection of engineering plastics means many prototypes can be made in production-equivalent materials. Plastics are more often being found to be a good alternative to metals. They can often be machined on the same equipment and many high temperature engineering plastics offer features such as lightweight, flexibility, high strength, resistance to corrosion, excellent durability, high heat tolerance and chemical resistance. Some plastics, such as those for bearings even require little or no lubrication making them even more cost effective on the service end.

The moral of this blog – a plastic part by any other name is still a plastic part but how you get to create that part could make all the difference in the world. Molded plastic parts have their place, but before going down the path of investing in molds it may be worth a little time considering the questions in this blog and determining if molded or machined is the best option.

 

See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.tkmna.com

Understanding Engineering Plastics

This week we decided to bring you a little bit of a different way of looking at engineering plastics. We hope you find this info graphic helpful in determining the differences between various types of engineering plastics and how factors like heat and chemicals can affect these materials.

Infographic-EngineeringPlasitcs07-13

June 22 – International Helmet Awareness Day – Thank You Plastics!

Some people love them, some hate them, but like them or not in June we pay homage to the humble safety helmet because June 22 is International Helmet Awareness Day. Read more. We all think of football players, hockey players, and even baseball players and motorcycle riders when it comes to helmets. Although Michigan recently changed it’s motor cycle helmet laws, if you have ridden a motor cycle in Michigan in the recent past chances are have worn a helmet.

These days the headgear is becoming popular in sports where we traditionally didn’t think of them as necessary. The weekend casual bicycle rider, inline skaters, downhill skiers, and horseback riders now commonly wear protective helmets during their activity. When children go out to play it’s just as common for mom to say, “don’t forget your helmet” as it is to say, “put on a sweater.” The change to wearing safety helmets has been tougher in some groups than than it has been in others. In sports like dressage, a form of horseback riding, use of ASTM certified helmets picked up pace after a tragic accident left an Olympic level rider with a life altering traumatic brain injury just months before her journey to Beijing was to take place. In the past year organizations including USDF and USEF added rule to require ASTM certified helmets be worn, at least up to certain levels whenever riders are on horseback at a show. For more about helmet safety for riding and their activities see http://www.riders4helmets.com

How Have Plastic Materials Changed the Use of Helmets?

But would we be wearing these helmets of all shapes and sizes if it weren’t for plastic? I’ll be honest here. I ride dressage and the early helmets were less than flattering and certainly not a part of the tradition. They were plastic yes, but they were uncomfortable, hot, heavy, and well, huge! In fact, the term was bubble head. My how things have changed! Due to improved choices of plastic materials, increased demand, and testing of designs for better fit, and to achieve the most protection possible, helmets have come a long way. They are lighter, sleeker, they come in colors, cool designs, they are vented, and more. A look at helmets for bicycle riding shows the progression.

Image - Bike Helmet - Old style01Image - Bike Helmet - New style01

regenerative-helmet

 

 

 

The first helmets date back to about 900 BC and the Assyrian army. (Read more here) Early helmets were combinations of leather, or leather and bronze or other metals. Later, knights in shining armor had many styles of helmets to protect them from lances and arrows. These heavy metal pieces and took a great deal of strength to wear and even to take on and off. Due to these factors and changes in weaponry it is said that helmet use went out in the 1600’s. In fact, up until football helmets materials didn’t change much. According to Wikipedia some of the early helmets were made by shoemakers or blacksmiths. These went from plain leather to leather with padding and with fabric straps that kept the head from touching the leather outer shell.

Plastics Enters the Sport Helmet Scene

The first plastic helmets for sports were developed for football in 1940 by John Riddell and his son. Riddell also developed the first chin strap to rest on the chin instead of the neck and the first plastic face mask. Helmet designers quickly started to realize the importance of shape and material selection. The first helmets were brittle, but after a shape and material change to a tear drop shape, football helmets took impact better. Later inventions included air being pumped in to aid impact absorption and to improve fit. For more in depth information on the history of football helmets see wikipedia’s article

Leatherhead Riddell Helmets

 

 

 

 

 

By the 1980’s the preferred material was rigid polycarbonate which is typically still the material of choice. Carbon fiber reinforcement was introduced into Tour De France bike helmets in the 1990’s and is also still widely used. Equestrian riding helmets typically have an outer shell of ABS, or carbon fiber. The hard outer shell serves to protect the head from being pierced by a sharp object, and to spread the energy of impact over a larger surface area thereby helping to lessen impact. Ski helmets are typically an outer shell of polycarbonate or, if it’s painted the outer shell may be acrylic. In motorcycle helmets, users will find helmets with plastic shells, fiberglass shells, or even woven Kevlar.

Helmet interiors of all kinds use a variety of foam plastics that help provide impact absorption comfort, and fit. Chin straps are added to ensure the helmet stays in place when it’s most needed and are typically made from nylon with plastic latches.

Using Today’s Plastic Helmets

We’ve come a long way since the days of the knights and their metal head gear. Flashy as those metal helmets adorned with jewels may have been, today’s protective helmets utilize plastics to provide maximum protection, durability, and yes – style. Just be sure to use them wisely, use them always, and if you have a fall, don’t think your helmet is OK just because it didn’t crack. Once your helmet has been through an impact it’s best to replace it. Also, be sure to get the right helmet for your sport. As you can see in the photos on this post there are many styles. Those styles are based on how you use them. A bike helmet doesn’t work for someone riding a horse or vice versa.

Most of all, celebrate National Helmet Safety month by getting out and doing the sports you love most, and maybe say a little thank you to world of plastics on your way.

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See you in the blogosphere again soon!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager
ThyssenKrupp Materials, NA
AIN Plastics Division

www.tkmna.com

Plastics find Their way into Aerospace Applications

Many different Plastics find their way into Aerospace applications today.  The opportunity to reduce weight has been a universal driving force for years.  Each pound reduced translates to lower fuel costs, longer range, and higher efficiency throughout the life of the aircraft.  Metals range from 4-6 times heavier than plastics, so the opportunity to find weight savings is significant.

A recent article on 3D printing notes that jet engine parts are being made of highly specialized ceramic materials through the use of 3D printing process. In the project by CFM and GE the companies estimate using 15% less fuel, which they estimate will save $1 million per year, per aircraft! The companies also noted these new engines will greatly reduce carbon emissions. Read more… http://www.technologyreview.com/news/514656/a-more-efficient-jet-engine-is-made-from-lighter-parts-some-3-d-printed/

In addition to these technologies many plastics are taking their place in aircraft. Highly specialized plastics are being compounded to reduce the need for lubrication.  These plastic materials also offer significant options where thermal insulation is required, providing better results than more traditional metals. A few of the plastic materials we find being specified for aircraft use are:

These materials are fire rated for use in aircraft so specification into projects is easier. They also tend to provide high impact resistance, greater wear than traditional materials, and they are easy to machine and work with. All of these factors are making plastics the first choice for aircraft applications more often. For more information on aircraft and the use of plastic materials see our earlier post on this topic as well: http://ain-plastics.com/aerospace-utilizing-more-plastics/

Paul Hanson

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

paul.hanson@thyssenkrupp.com
Phone: 770.362.9712