Polypropylene compound is ideal antenna housing
A
RTP Company product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jul 28, 2004
Antenna Plus needed a robust housing for its Millennium series of mobile antennas that was strong, impact-resistant and impervious to a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions.
To house the advanced electronics necessary for modern communications, Antenna Plus wanted a robust housing for its Millennium series of mobile antennas that was strong, impact-resistant and impervious to a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions.
Most importantly, the housing material had to allow the electromagnetic signal to reach the antenna with minimal loss of strength.
Antenna Plus turned to specialty compounder RTP Company who formulated an RTP 100 Series reinforced polypropylene (PP) compound to meet the requirements.
A special UV stabiliser in the PP compound ensures long-term outdoor performance and allows Antenna Plus to meet the UL requirements expected by its customers.
A tailored combination of milled glass and glass beads adds both strength and dimensional stability.
According to Bill Liimatainen of Antenna Plus: "The material moulds extremely flat for PP, with no warp and an exact, consistent shrinkage".
"These characteristics allow us to use the same material in many of our products".
He continued: "We've tested other materials and have yet to see one with the consistency of the RTP Company compound".
"Consistency is critical to our success".
"It extends to both production and long-term performance, allowing for a smooth, efficient manufacturing process".
Antenna components made of materials with high dielectric constants or dissipation factors cause an increase in the signal loss factor - the amount of energy absorbed and converted to heat by the material.
Generally, conductive materials reflect signal waves; conversely, the low reflective properties of thermoplastics allow the signal to pass to the circuits unimpeded.
RTP Company has extensive experience formulating and compounding thermoplastic materials to specific dielectric constants ranging from 2.1 to 12.0.
This enables manufacturers to select materials that complement their antenna design, optimising signal strength available to devices.
According to Liimatainen: "Customisable dielectric properties means we can get a compound matched to the antenna".
"This eliminates our need to tweak each design for the most favourable signal penetration".
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Google Ads
Contact RTP Company
Related Stories
- Arnitel TPC enables compact brake tubes
- Laser Lines marks code on tiny area of oil seal
- Mac3 uses RTP fire-proof materials in float switch
- Electric shaker removes scrap from stamping press
- Combined starter-alternator reduces petrol use
Articles by product category
- Consultancy and Services (903)
- Machine Building (4,517)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,179)
- Engineering Design Software (12)
- 2D CAD software (200)
- 3D CAD software (1,157)
- FEA and structural analysis software (369)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (334)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (914)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (196)
- Materials design and moulding design software (151)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (258)
- Electrical design software (164)
- Publishing and documentation software (229)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (317)
- Data, document management software (310)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (568)
- File conversion software, data capture (351)
- PLM and collaboration software (649)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,361)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (1)
- Precision Motors and Gears (411)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,276)
- Linear Drives and Motors (114)
- Industrial Motors (497)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,060)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (1,975)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,028)
- Plantwide control (1,324)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,174)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (387)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (184)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (201)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (562)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (294)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (806)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,459)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (494)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (472)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (630)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (703)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (440)
- Data loggers (422)
- Materials testing equipment (421)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (154)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (500)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,222)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,160)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (555)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (679)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (709)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (420)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (798)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (369)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (630)
-
Materials and Processing (2,963)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials and components (2,215)
- Rapid Prototyping (458)
- Materials processing and testing (285)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,093)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (562)
- Engineering Conferences (425)
- Engineering Seminars (400)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (633)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (349)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Training Courses (433)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (838)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (278)
- Health and Safety Legislation (402)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (113)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (175)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (277)
-
Powertrain Design (3,598)
- Powertrain Design (2)
- Bearings (939)
- Chains and belts (326)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,441)
- Hydraulic Components (471)
- Lubricants (418)
-
Capital Equipment (3,387)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (468)
- Production line blowers and fans (62)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (510)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,093)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (930)
-
Sensors (7,080)
- Sensors (8)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (427)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (699)
- Pressure sensors (621)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (618)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (527)
- Linear Position Sensors (399)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (546)
- Proximity Sensors (700)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (284)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (152)
- Temperature sensors (612)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,384)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,623)
