MATERIALS | HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPOUNDS
consderably higher than many typical aryl ketone compounds containing carbon fibre.
Above: Solvay’s latest carbon fibre reinforced KetaSpire PEEK grade was developed for precision ABS/ ESC brake and e-mobility components
pretty quickly,” says Weishalla. ““VLF Compounds have some unique advantages over short fibre counterparts, and when the right material is selected, the cost versus benefit ratio can be balanced quite well.”
Seal of approval This summer, Solvay launched a new grade of KetaSpire PEEK — KT-850 SCF 30 — designed for precision brake system and e-mobility electronic pump components. The product was developed to provide better sealing performance over standard 30% carbon fibre filled PEEK grades, which have traditionally been used for anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC) compo- nents such as tappets, poppets, and plungers. Solvay says the new KT-850 SCF 30 grade enables further metal (aluminium) replacement by improv- ing the flow characteristics of the material and the surface finish of parts. With its PEKK, PEK and ABPBI (polybenzimidazole), polymers, Gharda Chemical is aiming at metal replacement in demanding applications across various industrial segments, including aerospace, oil & gas, automotive, electrical and electronics. The company says that with many electronic components requiring surrounding materials to protect them against electrostatic discharge (ESD), it has developed a new ESD grade based on its GAPEKK material with a relatively low melting temperature (305°C). The new grade — GAPEKK 6-3200G ESD — is a nanocomposite material containing multiwall carbon nanotubes with a surface resistivity in the range of 106
to 109 Ω. It can be used for extrusion
and 3D printing as well as injection moulding. An additional advantage, according to Gharda’s DGM for Marketing and Application Development Jaimin Zaveri, is its improved elongation, which at 51% is
62 COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2021
3D print gains Specialty North American compounder Techmer PM worked with a major aerospace OEM to develop a thermally conductive, autoclavable resin to improve the performance of 3D-printed com- posite moulds for compression moulding. The project started back in 2018, and Techmer PM is now commercialising a new polyethersulfone (PESU) compound for the application. Electrafil PESU 1815 3DP is said to offer enhanced thermal conductivity to improve processing and cycle times at temperatures up to near 180°C, while maintain- ing properties critical to the additive manufacturing (AM) and composite curing processes. “The material offers an improvement of over
250% in X, Y, and Z direction thermal conductivities compared to conventional reinforced PESU AM tooling compounds,” says Techmer New Markets Technology Leader Alan Franc. “At the same time, it maintains similar modulus and heat-deflection temperature under load.” Curing a thermoset part via autoclave can typically take anywhere between two and 12 hours. The increased thermal conductivity of Electrafil PESU 1815 3DP promises to shorten those cycle times by accelerating both the heating and cooling parts of the process. Franc says, the material is also capable of replacing more expensive metal tooling for use in compression moulding. Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) collaborated in the development process by providing 3D printing and testing services. “We see strong market potential for this technology in sectors such as aerospace and automotive,” says Vlastimil Kunc, ORNL’s group leader of advanced composites manufacturing. Tech- mer PM says it is seeking additional partners to test and validate the material in additional applications.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.hybridplastics.com �
https://www.usm.edu/polymer-science-engineering/index.php (University of Southern Mississippi School of Polymer Science and Engineering)
�
www.jm.com (Johns Manville) �
www.basf.com �
www.lati.com �
www.rtpcompany.com �
www.solvay.com �
www.gharda.com �
www.techmerpm.com
www.compoundingworld.com
IMAGE: SOLVAY
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