Victrex CT™ 200 Is A Superior Alternative To PCTFE
Demand for cryogenic capable polymers is at an all-time high, from the oil and gas industry, medical devices and cryogenic valve seals for space flight. For years, the frontline material choice for these industry applications was PCTFE, often referred to by its former trade name Kel-F. Victrex CT™ 200 is comparable to PCTFE as a high performance alternative, designed for a variety of industries. Victrex CT™ 200 is the most promising among the alternatives and has only been commercially available since 2018. New to the market, Victrex CT™ 200 may not be on the radar for many oil and gas, ...
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DRAKE PLASTICS LTD. CO. GAINS AEROSPACE INDUSTRY AS9100D(2016) QUALITY SYSTEM CERTIFICATION
May 5, 2021, Cypress, TX – Drake Plastics Ltd. Co. has been awarded certification as a manufacturer of extruded shapes and precision parts under AS9100D(2016) Certification, an international quality management system that includes the ISO 9001:2015 standard and additional requirements for the aerospace industry. The achievement puts Drake Plastics in esteemed company. Of the million plus organizations worldwide that are ISO 9001 certified, less than 2% hold AS9100D certifications. “Our compliance enables us to meet the rigorous demands of aviation, space and defense clients worldwide,” states Drake Plastics President, Steven Quance. “It also elevates our quality systems and procedures to ...
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Drake Plastics Ltd. Co. Adds Precision Waterjet Cutting
Drake Plastics Ltd. Co., the global leader in ultra-performance polymer stock shape extrusion, is once again expanding its capabilities. To better serve machine shop and distribution customers, Drake has added precision waterjet cutting of blanks and 2D parts.
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What Is A Polyamide-imide?
Polyamide-imides (PAI) are high performance polymers that combine excellent high temperature strength with low temperature toughness and impact strength while offering exceptional chemical resistance as an amorphous polymer to a wide range of common chemicals. They are closely related to two other high temperature aromatic imide polymers, polyetherimides (PEI) and polyimides (PI). The most recognized polyamide-imide polymer is Torlon, which was introduced in the 1970s by Amoco as an extension of a low molecular polymer offered to enhance the adhesion of fluoropolymer in cookware such as Silverstone® and as wire coatings.
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Selecting Materials And Processes For High Performance Plastic Parts
This paper is intended to help design engineers and those within the plastics industry supporting them select the process sequence and materials that maximize the performance of service critical parts. A great deal of folklore exists within the plastics community regarding the relative differences between machined and injection molded plastic parts. This lore is easy to understand given datasheet values published by resin and shape producers. The values listed on resin datasheets are almost always greater than those published by leading shapes suppliers (http://bit.ly/datasheetreview). Don’t let that observation distract or slow down your mission to design and manufacture the best ...
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Thinking Lean! Reducing The Cost Of Manufacturing High Performance Polymer Parts Using Drake’s Seamless Tube®.
Starting with the right size and shape based on final part geometry is critical when working with materials like Torlon®, PEEK and polyimides that are inherently expensive. Did you know that an extra .25” on a diameter can add 25% or more to the cost of your raw material? This waste is compounded by a machinist spending time removing extra stock. Add in extra tool wear, especially in glass or carbon fiber reinforced materials, and the unnecessary cost related to using a less than optimal size can exceed 50%.
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Making The Best Even Better. Post Curing Torlon Wear Parts Reduces Wear
High PV bearing applications are tough for even high-performance polymers like Torlon, PEEK and PPS. The reason is simple; frictional heat generated especially by the velocity component of “P x V” does not dissipate as easily as does in inherently more conductive bearing materials (i.e. metals). The heat begins to soften the polymer, thermally expanding it. In most constrained bearings (think journal bearings/bushings or plane bearings) the plastic, with higher CLTE than the metal constraining it, has nowhere to go and collapses onto the shaft or piston. Excessive heat builds up, eventually causes bearing failure by over heating or excessive ...
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Large Diameter PEEK Challenges? Drake’s Large Diameter Reinforced PEEK Rod Is “The Solution”
Ever hear from a customer… “I just started drilling and I heard a crack” or “I was sawing and melted plastic (swarf) stopped the blade” or “my inspection department found cracks in all my parts”. I can even tell you what the “mill” likely said… “They were using the wrong size drill or the wrong feed rate or the saw blade was the wrong type or they should have annealed the material in between operations.” We used to say that until we recently helped out a customer requesting another mill’s 4” diameter GL30 rod. Check out the results of Drake’s ...
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Understanding Datasheet Properties to Maximize Part Performance
Producing parts from extruded stock shapes is preferred when injection molding is not practical, and many times for part performance reasons. Experienced plastics engineers have learned that the performance of a machined part can far exceeds that of an injection molded part, yet a comparison of resin and shape datasheets causes one to conclude the exact opposite. Why do the properties of extruded shapes rarely match the properties listed on a resin datasheet? Understanding orientation related to material flow especially when using fiber-reinforced grades is the key to understanding this observation. Molecular orientation due to melt flow profiles also impacts ...
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Drake Motorsports Development – High Performance Polymer Parts for Racers
CYPRESS, Texas, March 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)—Drake Motorsports Development, LLC was recently formed to accelerate the availability of track proven race parts and to continually develop new racing products from a racing industry insider perspective. The first part developed is an offset control arm bushing machined from Torlon 4435. The bushing delivers an increased static negative camber range of adjustment for the front wheels, which is used as a suspension tuning method to optimize tire contact under high lateral loads. Tyler Quance, owner of Drake Motorsports Development, and the Engineering Manager for Drake Plastics, has been racing a Spec Miata ...
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