Polymers are modified for bearing duties

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 2, 2003

The Extreme Materials line of engineering plastic stock shapes provides product and design engineers with machining grade polymer materials with optimum levels of performance.

The Extreme Materials line of engineering plastic stock shapes from Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products provides product and design engineers with machining grade polymer materials with optimum levels of performance.

"A standard grade of an engineering plastic may be sufficient for some applications", says Giovanni Vesco, Commercial Director at Quadrant EPP, "But there are many application environments that require much more from machined plastic parts.

In the past, engineers had few choices in readily available plastics for machining other than ultra-high-performance materials like polyimides.

However, this also meant overengineering and its corresponding price tag.

With our Extreme Materials product technology, we have developed product compositions that enhance the performance of standard materials beyond their typical capabilities.

Thus, for example, we are able to offer not just standard PPS, but a grade that performs well in bearing applications previously not possible".

The first products announced as part of Quadrant's Extreme Materials programme are two bearing-grade polymer stock shapes.

Techtron HPV PPS has the basic capabilities of polyphenylene-sulfide (PPS) - high heat resistance, broad range of chemical resistance and excellent dimensional stability - but with additional features of excellent wear resistance and a low coefficient of friction.

Ketron Peek-HPV has the basic capabilities of polyetheretherketone (Peek) - very high heat resistance, high strength and stiffness, and good chemical resistance - together with an excellent combination of low friction, low wear, high LPV, low mating part wear.

"The HPV grade of Techtron", says Dr Richard Campbell, Quadrant's R and D Director who heads up the product technology behind Extreme Materials, "offers a unique combination of performance capabilities for bearing applications in chemically aggressive environments.

PPS has no known solvents below 200C and is inert to steam, strong bases, fuels and acids.

Although there is a PPS that also has excellent wear resistance.

Unlike standard PPS, Techtron HPV PPS has a low coefficient of friction and greater resistance to wear in dynamic applications".

With respect to Ketron Peek-HPV, Campbell says, "Traditionally, Peek has been recognised for its high strength and stiffness and a continuous use temperature of 250C.

It offers chemical and hydrolysis resistance similar to PPS, but can operate at higher temperatures.

To these capabilities, Ketron Peek-HPV adds outstanding bearing performance.

This new performance improvement makes it a cost effective alternative to some fluoropolymers and polyimides for bearing applications in aggressive chemical environments".

Quadrant's development team is currently working on extending the performance capabilities of other polymers, including polyamide-imide (PAI), fluoropolymer (PTFE), and polyethylene-terephthalate (PET).

"The material and processing technologies that allowed us to develop Techtron HPV PPS and Ketron Peek-HPV", says Campbell, "have also been applied to many other materials manufactured by Quadrant.

New grades of these materials will allow us to offer extreme levels of performance improve productivity and bring clear benefits to a new group of designers".