New materials from Ensinger

Citation

(1999), "New materials from Ensinger", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 51 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1999.01851aad.024

New materials from Ensinger

New materials from Ensinger

Ensinger, specialists in engineering plastics, is committed to continual development, new technology and applications and has added several new products to its range, including:

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  Tecadur PET ­ now available in black. Retaining the outstanding properties of the natural version, high strength, toughness, good machinability, wear resistance and good bonding ability, the black semi- finished product offers good UV stability and suitability for outdoor use.

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  Tecafom AH MT ­ Coloured acetal copolymers. Produced from granules and colourant that conform to the FDA requirements, this material is available in specific colours designed for use in medical technology.

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  Tecanat PC ­ engineering grade polycarbonate now available in tube form. Ensinger has added a range of polycarbonate tube to their standard product range.

Specialising in high performance plastics Ensinger has a full range of materials including:

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  Sintimid, a classic high performance non-melting polyamide, suitable for continuous use over a wide temperature range of ­270°C to + 300°C and for excursion up to 350°C. It also possesses high strength, high creep resistance and outstanding wear resistance. The pure versions also offer excellent electrical properties.

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  Tecalor, a thermoplastically processable polyamide. Tecalor can also be partially crystallised by subsequent treatment. Depending on the degree of crystallinity, the continuous service temperature of Tecalor ranges from 230°C to 330°C. Like the other polyamide polymers, Tecalor exhibits high strength, high creep resistance and good wear properties.

Other additions to the high performance range include:

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  Tecapeck ­ PEEK. A range of sizes have been added to rod and plate in both the unfilled, Tecapeek version, and the tribologically optimised Tecapeek PVX grade.

In addition a black unfilled PEEK ­ Tecapeek MT has been added which meets the requirements of the medical industry.

Another black material particularly suited for the medical industry is TecasonPPSU, a member of the sulphone family that is particularly resistant to repeated steam sterilisation and offers the best chemical resistance of that family.

Tecatron is Ensinger's trade name for extruded PPS and is available as 40 per cent glass filled (Tecatron GF40) and as a tribologically optimised version Tecatron PVX. This material can offer high performance at an economical price.

Offered for several years as customer specific material, Tecapei is produced from Ultem PEI and is now available in a stock range in both the unfilled and glass filled variety.

Among a range of new custom castings, Ensinger can now offer a cast polyamide 6 produced by activated anionic polymerisation. In addition to their wide range of semi-finished rod, plate and tube in Tecast cast nylon, Ensinger are also able to produce custom cast components either to the finished shape, or for finishing with minimal machining.

Custom casting is particularly suitable for the production of complex and/or thick walled parts where considerable machining would be required from semi-finished materials. Tooling is relatively inexpensive compared with injection moulding tools which make this process viable for smaller volume production.

Typical parts produced by custom casting include:

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  Cable sheaves and pulleys for overhead cranes ­ currently produced up to 910mm diameter, they are used by companies such as Liebherr Werk GmbH.

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  "A" frames for the feet of mobile cranes ­ for instance those used by Mannesmann Demag on the largest mobile telescopic crane in the world.

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  Sprockets

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  Pinions

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  Propellers

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  With metal inserts, e.g. a steel core allows the use of custom cast components in stock handling machines with loads up to 10-12 tonnes.

Custom cast parts display the general advantages of cast nylon and can be produced in any of several grades/modifications best suited to a specific application.

In comparison with injection moulded and extruded materials, the modified cast materials are characterised by a higher tensile and compressive strength, higher modulus of elasticity and dimensional stability. The reasons for this are a higher crystallinity and significantly higher molecular weight. The lower moisture absorption means that the mechanical properties and dimensions also change less. Further advantages are a higher abrasion resistance and lower tendency to creep under load.

Tecarim is Ensinger's trade name for tough, high performance polyamide 6 block copolymers produced in a reactive casting process (reaction injection moulding) from Nyrim. Castings can be manufactured with unit weights ranging from 0.3kg up to 18kg and for unit weights below 1kg in particular, multi-impression moulds can be used.

The Tecarim process is particularly recommended where production by machining or injection moulding is uneconomical, i.e. too costly for machining or where the wall thickness is too large or quantities too small for injection moulding. Here, advantage can be taken of the special properties of the material and the manufacturing process.

The pressureless casting process and the subsequent reaction in the mould produce typical advantages of the Tecarim process:

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  Achievement of extreme wall thickness changes.

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  Simple integration of inlay parts and reinforcement materials.

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  Low stress and distortion free mouldings.

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  No joint lines and weak spots.

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  Moulding weights from 0.3kg up to 18kg.

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  Production of complex mouldings and forming of hollow through the use of special cores.

The material has an elastomer content and by varying this several types of Tecarim are available and offer property profiles with a wide range of toughness and rigidity.

Additional main characteristics include:

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  Excellent impact strength and abrasion resistance.

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  Service temperature range from ­60°C to +140°C.

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  Hardness in the range of Shore D 50-75.

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  Plain and textured surfaces.

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  Direct pigmenting or online painting.

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  100 per cent recyclable.

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  Application specific choice of material properties by means of reinforcement materials, elastomer content, additives and fillers.

The chemical resistance of Tecarim is comparable with that of other polyamides. It is resistant to dilute acids, alkalis, solvents, industrial oils and greases as well as fuels. The high abrasion resistance, characteristic of polyamides is further improved and can be used to advantage particularly in the low temperature range. Slip properties can be improved by the use of application-specific additives. Typical applications are machine, plant and functional parts and industrial products with high dynamic load bearing strength, abrasion resistance and impact strength ­ even at low temperatures and in particular, parts with heavy and widely differing wall thicknesses.

For further information please contact Mary Morgan. Tel: +44 (0)1443 237400; Fax: +44 (0)1443 237342 E-mail: ensukltd@aol.com