Plastic resists solder bath's high temperatures
A
Victrex USA product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Sep 23, 2005
French company VP Plast is using Victrex PEEK in a micro-connector design because it was capable of withstanding the high temperatures in a lead-free solder bath.
When VP Plast, based in Morteau, France, wanted to design a micro-connector that was capable of withstanding the high temperatures in a lead-free solder bath, it chose Victrex PEEK as an insulation material because of its high deformation temperature and excellent thermal stability.
Victrex PEEK enabled VP Plast to meet customer design requirements for a micro-connector that allowed the space between two electronic cards to be reduced while at the same time ensuring good electrical continuity.
According to Andrew Ragan, Product Manager, Victrex USA: "Compared with traditional soldering, where fusion temperatures are around 230C, lead-free alternatives require an extended wetting time (involving preheating and re-fusion) at temperatures that can exceed 260C".
"When faced with such demanding temperatures conditions, most of the polymers traditionally used for electronic components are at the limit of their application range".
"PBT, Nylons, PPS or LCP either undergo deformation, melt or exhibit inadequate mechanical strength".
"For these reasons, VP Plast chose glass-fibre reinforced Victrex PEEK since it offers a deformation temperature under load of 315C, plus excellent thermal stability".
VP Plast initially produced a prototype mould for moulding a micro-component in Victrex PEEK that featured a micro-slot into which an 80um CuBe contact blade was manually inserted.
After moulding several thousand of these components, VP Plast decided to eliminate the manual operation and to automatically over-mould the contact blade using integrated fully automatic micro-blanking.
The final challenge was to produce a 4mm3 component using a single continuous process from an 80um strip by stamping, micro over-moulding with Victrex PEEK, bending and final stamping with continuous control and in-process elimination of non-conforming components".
"VP Plast developed the eight-cavity mould that was manufactured to the micrometre level and maintained at a regulated 200C temperature in order to guarantee the good crystallinity of Victrex PEEK", said Ragan.
"And, the final tolerances obtained on the moulded components were 20um".
By using the continuous strip over-moulding process, VP Plast was able to remain highly cost-competitive and keep production of the micro-connectors in France.
According to VP Plast, the market looks promising, with sales of several million components being forecast for 2005.
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