Product category:
Materials and components
News Release from: Victrex USA | Subject: Peek polymer
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 31 December 2001
Polymer meets lubrication needs in
dental system
When Star Dental needed a material for the sliding vanes and bushings in motors for dental attachments, it chose Victrex Peek polymer because of its lubricity and ability to withstand sterilizations
When Star Dental of Lancaster, Pennsylvania was designing its low-speed Titan air motors to power a line of dental attachments, it needed a material for the sliding vanes and bushings that would not require lubrication Star Dental chose Victrex Peek polymer, a high-performance thermoplastic, because of its inherent lubricity and its ability to withstand repeated sterilizations
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 17 Dec 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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According to Engineering Manager Bill Guscott, "Star Dental is committed to "lube free" dentistry.
We wanted to eliminate the hassle of having to lubricate the motor in between patient visits.
By using Peek polymer for the components we are able to eliminate the high cost and mess of repeated lubrication.
And, we can ensure that no residual lubricant is expelled into the patient's mouth." A major factor in the decision to use Peek polymer is its ability to withstand the repeated sterilization cycles required of all dental equipment.
"Because we offer a one-year warranty," says Guscott, "We needed to make sure the components could withstand being autoclaved at 250degF (121C) or 275degF (135C), or chemiclaved at 270degF (132C).
We tested Peek polymer's durability to 1,000 cycles, which is what a moderate to heavy user would go through in a year, and found no loss of mechanical properties.
In addition, we discovered that the absence of residual lubricating oil coating actually facilitates the sterilization process." The Peek polymer vanes are located in the motor which operates at 20,000 rpm and the bushings are located in the adapter.
To maintain the optimum power of the equipment, both components are molded to exacting standards involving dimensional tolerances of less than 0.0005" including flash.
According to Chris Chapman, Sales Manager at Allegheny Plastics, the company that molds the sliding vanes and bushings, "Both components are molded in multi-cavity molds and use cavity pressure transducers and hot runner technology to minimize material scrap and increase manufacturing efficiencies.
Due to the small size of these components, we use sophisticated, high powered optical equipment throughout the manufacturing process to ensure parts are supplied within specification parameters." Star Dental is a division of DentalEZ, a major supplier of dental systems for dental offices worldwide.
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