Tag Archives: DuPont

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

Do I Need to use DuPont™ Vespel®?

It seems like nearly everyday we hear about a new breakthrough advancement in plastics materials. From biodegradable to new engineering plastics and more. Why I just recently posted one on our Facebook about a new invention that is being called OLED (https://www.facebook.com/AINPlastics). These new products and materials have features we couldn’t even imagine 10 years ago. So how do you know when you need to use certain products and when could you maybe use something a little less costly?

In this blog post, I wanted to take a look at one product in particular that we’ve talked about before; DuPont™ Vespel®. There has been a lot written and said about DuPont™ Vespel® and it’s with good reason. It’s been around for a long time (Since the early 1960’s) and the DuPont™ Vespel® product line offers some pretty unique features. But it’s also not the most inexpensive to purchase so we’ve created an easy top 10 list of things to consider when making product selection and considering whether or not Vespel® is right for your application…

The Top 10 Things to Consider when Thinking About Whether or not DuPont™ Vespel® Is the Right Material for Your Application:

1. When you have a critical application such as aerospace or military where DuPont™ Vespel® may be the ASTM specified product. (See our post “When Saving a Little can Cost you a Lot”). If it is specified you can stop reading here. You’ll want to be sure you follow the standard.

2. When you want a plastic material that will hold up in a high temperature environment and not lose it’s properties. DuPont™ Vespel® SP-1 and SCP-5000 can operate in temperatures up to 550° F with excursions up to 900° F! In fact, SP-1doesn’t even have a melting point. Gheesh, I’m melting in our Michigan weather this summer, but as hot as it is here, we aren’t even close to those temps!

3. When you have a high load application such as a bearing.

4. When you are looking for weight savings DuPont™ Vespel® can be an excellent alternative to metals such as aluminum or metallic alloys, or ceramics. It’s properties may even exceed that of metal and ceramic.

5. When you are working in a critical testing environment and need a low outgassing product.

6. When you need a long-lasting material. Low friction and high stability along with heat and wear resistance mean your parts last longer and require less maintenance.

7. Variety. In the “S” product line alone DuPont™ has over 10 products to choose from. This can help to save money as you don’t always have to get all the bells and whistles, but instead get a product that fits your specific application needs.

8. An easy to machine alternative to ceramic. VDuPont™ Vespel® has electrical insulative properties like ceramic, but the ease of machining using standard machining techniques means it can cost less to fabricate Vespel than it does ceramic. This is especially true for design that include details like under cuts, holes, or threads. Vespel is also tougher than ceramic and it can take high impact.

9. When lubrication may not be viable or when you need a low wearing material that can withstand poor tolerances or when you need low friction to improve efficiency. DuPont™ Vespel® Bearing Grade SC and SCP possess some of the highest unlubricated pressure-velocity limits among engineering plastics.

10. When you need a plastic with high chemical resistance, or that will work well under hard vacuum, radiation, oxygen compatibility, cryogenic conditions, and exposure to flame.

Common Uses for DuPont™ Vespel®
Now that we have 10 considerations did you want to know what DuPont™ Vespel® is being used in? OK, we pretty much mentioned aerospace and military. But beyond that you can find Vespel in snowmobiles, ATV’s, farm equipment, and semiconductors. Since 1964 Vespel has been used in transmissions, small motors, brake pad assemblies, seal rings, valve seats, bushings, washers, thrust plugs, anti-lock break systems, fuel systems, turbo chargers, vacuum pumps, door hinge bushings, belt tensioners, gear stick rollers, rubbing blocks,wheel disc nuts, steering and air conditioning systems, suspension systems, intake and exhaust systems, piston rings. Handling of hot glass in manufacturing of bottles and hot runner systems in plastic packaging manufacturing are two more! In other words it’s pretty tried and true in a lot of applications. It may not be right for yours, but to find out see how many of your needs are in the top 10. After that if you need more detail on specific DuPont™ Vespel® products, take a look at the following links. They will take you to product technical data for each DuPont™ Vespel® material. If you don’t have the time to do all that comparing, give us a call and ask one of our people. We can help you determine if Vespel is right for you, and if so, which one fits your application best.

New Video Coming Soon!
Just a heads up…we’ve got a new video coming soon. Above we mentioned Vespel machines easily and in our video we will show just how easily DuPont™ Vespel® machines and we will offer some tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years that can help you get the best out of these materials.

Until Next Time!

Lisa Anderson

Marketing Manager

ThyssenKrupp Materials NA

AIN Plastics Division

When Saving a Little can Cost you a Lot!

…aka why it’s Important to Choose Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®


In business we are always looking for ways to save money and ways we can take that savings and turn it into making more money and better profits. While there are a lot of good ways to do this, like shopping online and comparing prices to get the best deal, when you add up all the costs, sometimes those dollars aren’t worth the savings.

In fact, at times there can be serious consequences. This is actually from a blog post we initially published some time ago. But it’s so important that we like to be sure the information stays out there.

Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®

Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®

Machine Shops Beware!
Over the years there have been reported instances of DuPont™ Vespel® shapes being machined into smaller diameter counterfeit rod from larger diameter rod by unauthorized resellers.  In these instances, the unauthorized resellers attempt to sell the product as Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® shapes to unsuspecting machine shops.  Instances of altering the original Certificate of Conformance (CoC) to reference the smaller diameter have been discovered as well.  These altered CoCs do not contain the correct lot number information intended to match product size and composition for traceability purposes.

Why Is This Important?
Unlike Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®, these counterfeit altered rods do not meet ASTM D 6456-99, MIL-R-46198 and OEM Specifications.  In fact, the characteristics of these counterfeit rods differ from rod made to the original size in the proprietary DuPont™ isostatic molding process.

It is important to note that when your customer qualifies a material they are not only specifying the grade of resin. They are also qualifying the process in which the material is formed. When  it comes to DuPont™ Vespel® testing has shown that smaller diameter rods ground down out of a larger rod are not the same. SP-1 data indicates that smaller diameter ISO rods have a statistically higher tensile strength and elongation than larger diameter rods. Similarly, testing on rods ground out of DuPont™ Vespel® Plaque show differences from ISO rods.
So, in the long run, shopping around and finding that great deal on something that says it’s DuPont™ Vespel® could cost you far more than the dollars you saved by going with something that appears to be close enough to do the job.

But if it’s Made from DuPont® Vespel® Material What’s the Problem?
To answer that, let’s take a look at ASTM Standards and the organization that creates the standards – The International ASTM organization was founded in 1898 and with more than 30,000 members it is one of the largest voluntary standards developing organizations in the world. They strive to maintain a no border policy meaning the organization is made up from people all over the world (over 100 countries) and all walks of life from industry, to government, to just regular people in the private sector.

What Exactly Is an ASTM Standard?
According to the ASTM website: “As used in ASTM, a standard is a document that has been developed and established within the consensus principles of the organization and which meets the requirements of ASTM procedures and regulations. Full consensus standards are developed with the participation of all parties who have a stake in the standards’ development and/or use.”

Voluntary Organization? If  it’s Voluntary What’s the big Deal?
Although the standards are voluntary many governments, including the U.S. cite ASTM standards in laws giving them much greater power. In 1995 the U.S. passed the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (Public Law 104-113). This law requires government agencies to use privately developed standards instead of investing taxpayer dollars to create their own. The law saves tax payers a huge amount of money and it also means more ASTM standards have become part of U.S. laws. To read the Law in it’s entirety click on this link: Public Law 104-113 pdf

What Does This Mean for Machine Shops and DuPont™ Vespel®?
ASTM Standards are used in numerous industries including aerospace, automotive, petroleum, even sports and recreational equipment. Large manufacturers use ASTM standards to guarantee product quality. ASTM standards hit us in our daily lives too. Sports organizations are making certain participants in their events use protective gear that meets an ASTM standard. In the aerospace industry the ASTM Standard states that only DuPont™ Vespel® may be used. So, any altered product such as ground rods, or any similar product does not meet their standard and therefore using it in what you do for an aerospace company means you are going against the rules they have set in place to ensure the highest quality products are used when building aircraft. Supplying them with a product that is anything less than their standard sets you up for being liable should anything happen. We all know what that means – potential law suits and possibly even worse.

Still Worth the Money Saved to get a product that almost meets the standard?
If not, how do you know you’ve got the real deal? Contact AIN Plastics, Division of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA. As the authorized distributor, AIN Plastics will provide you with the lowest possible price for authentic Dupont™ Vespel® shapes such as rods and plaques. In addition to being the most cost effective source AIN Plastics is the most reliable because they are required by DuPont to maintain a robust inventory of all grades and sizes of Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

Learn More About Authentic DuPont™ Vespel® and thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics
For technical assistance on working with Vespel® or about purchasing Authentic Vespel visit the AIN Plastics website: Authentic DuPont™ Vespel®.

For more information on DuPont™ Vespel® visit our online catalog: onlineplastics.com

  • SP1
  • Vespel SP21
  • Vespel SP211
  • VespelSP22
  • Vespel SP3
  • Vespel SCP5000
  • Vespel SCP5009
  • Vespel SCP5050
  • Vespel SCP50094
  • Vespel CR6100
  • Vespel SP202
  • Vespel ST2010
  • Vespel ST2030

For more information about ASTM Standards visit: ASTM.org

We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions about DuPont™ Vespel® feel free to call thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics as well. They have a toll free number that will put you in contact with the location nearest you. 1.877.246.7700.