Tag Archives: high temperature plastics

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

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

How Tribology Led to the use of DuPont™ Vespel®

Tribology is based on the Greek word for “rubbing, grinding”, or “wearing away”. It’s study has lead to advances in material selection for high load applications such as bearings. Plastic materials such as DuPont™ Vespel® have been key in reducing friction and adding cost savings in the long run.

Tribology is a highly pervasive occurrence that can cause parts to have a much shorter life. So pervasive that it became a study all it’s own. In 1964, Peter Jost, a lubrication expert was inspired during a conference and out of this he began an entire discipline around tribology. You can learn more about Professor Jost in this interview Today we have many lubricants that range from the natural to the synthetic. They can all help to reduce friction. Thanks to the world of plastics we also have some materials like DuPont™ Vespel® that provide vast improvements beyond lubricants These new polyimide materials allow engineers to create parts and machinery they never thought possible and to greatly improve the efficiency and life of those parts.

We can thank the discipline of tribology for longer part life.

We can thank the discipline of tribology for longer part life.

Just think, if you had asked for a 10 year / 100,000 mile warranty 20 years ago the sales person would have laughed for a very good long time. Now, it’s the standard thanks in part to the discipline of tribology and new materials like Vespel. Due to their properties materials like DuPont™ Vespel® have found their way into commercial transportation industries, medical, food processing and manufacturing of all types. They simply have a unique combination of properties that makes them highly durable even under the harshest conditions.

Plastic materials are making a big difference in our ability to reduce friction and cost due to reduced wear and less need for lubrication and maintenance.

DuPont™ Vespel® has been a marvel of the plastics industry for decades. Now the SCP family of materials has been added to help with extended part life in sealing and bearing applications. It is most noted for it’s ability to be used in non-lubricated high-friction environments because of it’s exceptional heat and pressure resistance capabilities. The SCP 5009 material in particular performs well with or without lubrication under conditions that would cause severe wear or destruction of most other plastics. SCP 5009 is often used in bearing applications because it will reduce or eliminate problems with abrasion, corrosion, adhesion fatigue, and wear that plague conventional options such as metal bearings. Addition of a lubricant can improve performance even more!

Technical Properties of DuPont™ Vespel® SCP 5009

 

Technical Data for DuPont Vespel SCP 5009

Technical Data for DuPont Vespel SCP 5009

(Technical data provided by DuPont)

Using DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5009 shapes for seals, valves, bearings, bushings, and other components can mean savings due to lower replacement rates which leads to reduced maintenance costs. It’s also easy to machine. Most Vespel can be machined on the same equipment used for metals like brass. (See our video on machining techniques) and that can mean fewer rejects, higher productivity and reliability.

Key industries that have studied tribology and found that DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5009 shapes can offer substantial processing, performance and metals replacement advantages include analytical instrumentation, medical devices, aerospace and energy and material handling.

In a comparison to metal ball, needle and roller bearings, a part made from high temperature material like DuPont™ Vespel® SCP-5009 has advantages that include:

• No external lubrication
• The ability to hold up in temperature where lubricants fail
• Perform in dirty environments including dusty or where lint is present
• They typically weigh less and are quieter
• Compared to porous metals, bronze and brass the wear life may be much greater
• Vespel holds up to high pressure and high velocity
• Creep resistance

In addition, SCP 5009 can perform at temperatures and velocities beyond that of other plastic materials.

SCP 5009 is just one example but it’s one that shows how, thanks to the discipline of tribology, plastics are becoming more mainstream in manufacturing and it’s not due to a short term gain of cheaper material. Rather tribology has given us a longterm view of parts that looks at longer life, less maintenance and improved performance. Therein lies the true value and savings.

For more information on any of the information in this blog feel free to contact me.

Kendall Montague
Sales & Marketing Manager – DuPont™ Vespel®
ThyssenKrupp Materials NA
AIN Plastics Division

To ask me a question please comment on my post here or contact me directly:
Phone: (314) 502-0813
email: kendall.monatgue@thyssenkrupp.com

 

Read More:

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.