HIGH TEMPERATURE PLASTICS | MATERIALS
Automotive and electronics place high demands on plastic compounds; electric vehicles present even greater challenges. Chris Saunders reports on some of the latest solutions
Coping with the heat
High temperature plastics (HTPs) have been used in the electrical and electronic (E&E) and automo- tive industries, and in other demanding applica- tions, for many years. However, the rapid develop- ment of the global EV market is presenting developers of high temperature plastics and compounds with new challenges — parts are often smaller, must resist higher temperatures for longer periods, and may also have to provide additional properties such as flame retardance or tracking resistance – and new opportunities. US-headquarted specialty compounder RTP
Company is focused on proliferating technologies commonly found in standard engineering com- pounds into high temperature alternatives. The result is a wide range of engineered materials that offer both performance and aesthetics in high temperature applications in various markets. The company uses additives to modify colour, surface finish, and to provide the scratch resistance that is important in applications where appearance is crucial. Where static charge management is a require- ment — as is the case for sensitive electronics — anti- static or static dissipative technologies can be compounded with high temperature resins. For example, PEEK resin can be modified with carbon fibre or carbon nanotubes to provide permanent
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static dissipative and antistatic performance. This fills a gap in the electronics and semiconductor markets, where equipment, tooling, and fixtures need to be ESD-safe, but not conductive enough to allow flow of electric current. “Standard reinforcements such as glass, minerals, and carbon fibre are still staples in high tempera- ture thermoplastic compounds for high perfor- mance applications,” says Brett Weishalla, Senior Product Development Engineer at RTP. “But the cool thing about compounding is that we can provide a range of properties in one material, which is very helpful to moulders and product designers.” RTP also reports growth in HTP materials
Additives and reinforcement materials are important in HTP compounds, says RTP
Main image: Optical interconnect lens produced by Nalux is made with SABIC’s new ultra-high-heat, NIR-transparent Extem
RH1016UCL resin
August 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 35
IMAGE: SABIC
IMAGE: RTP
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