Happy Holidays from Performance Plastics

December 23, 2020  |  

Whoa, 2020 is almost over!  Apparently, time flies in the midst of a global pandemic.

This year was not one without its challenges.  From material shortages, mandatory shutdowns to shipping delays, we are proud of all of our team’s achievements in solving our customer’s most complicated problems.  We still hold true to our company’s motto: “Problem Solved”.

As we enter 2021, Performance Plastics is committed to becoming a global leader providing precision, tight tolerance injection molding solutions for the medical, aerospace/defense and industrial sectors.

In these final holiday weeks of 2020, we’d like to say thank you for all your support throughout the year. Our team at Performance Plastics want to wish you a holiday season is full of happiness, cheer, and prosperity for the coming new year.

/by

Injection Molded Plastic Fluoropolymers to manufacture UV-C Sanitization Devices

December 17, 2020  |  ,

UV-C light can be used to kill germs such as bacteria, viruses such as Covid-19, and spores. UV-C light disrupts the DNA of pathogens, eliminating their ability to replicate This technology works by the line of sight so the light must reach the surface in order for the bacteria or virus to be deactivated.

Historically, medical device manufacturers did not consider plastics to mold parts because plastic resins posed the possibility of cross contamination.  Today, medical device engineers are reconsidering plastics, specifically fluoropolymers that can be formulated to resist UV-C light degradation and reflectivity to leverage sterilization benefits and part manufacturing flexibility.

Fluoropolymers or Teflon®, are a group of high-performance plastics with excellent temperature and chemical resistance that are increasingly being injection molded in a variety of medical products today.  Unique characteristics such as UV-C light reflectivity, biocompatibility, low friction, chemical inertness, non-porosity, and compatibility with UV-C sterilization technologies, make them suitable for uses in many types of medical devices.

Fluoropolymers, such as FEP and PFA are resistant to higher transmission rates of UV light than glass, polyethylene, or polycarbonate allowing the full spectrum of solar light to pass through offering the benefits of sterilization.  These fluoropolymers are flexible and do not discolor, making them an ideal material to produce medical components to be UVC sterilized.

Performance Plastics, located in Cincinnati, OH  has over 30 years’ experience in molding tight tolerance advanced plastics such as Fluoropolymers (FEP & PFA) for the medical industry.  We have developed proprietary processes enabling injection molding of parts that are thin-walled, tight dimensional tolerances, and complex geometries.

For more information and solutions, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at 513-321-8404 or email [email protected].

/by

Direct Gating Makes Complex Medical Components A Reality

December 2, 2020  |  ,

At Performance Plastics, our primary job is to facilitate designs that create better products. Our direct gating technology does just that by increasing the value of existing products and providing advantages for new, innovative concepts. Our hybrid direct gate technology eliminates the runner waste associated with conventional molding, significantly reducing material use and per part cost. Polymers are injected directly into the part mold eliminating the need for runners.

Direct gating is suited for deep draw parts such as pipettes and syringe barrels or for small parts like medical infusion components.  This saves both resin and typically cuts cycle time by up to 50%.  In addition, it eliminates the need for downstream processing of the cold runner, which in medical applications can not typically be used as regrind.  The part quality achieved by direct gating is in many cases improved over parts manufactured with a cold runner.

Part quality is always critical in the medical industry due to safety concerns.  With medical parts, sharp edges or pronounced gate vestiges can potentially tear latex gloves or even skin.  In the medical industry, even seemingly small improvements in quality can make a significant difference in everyday applications and safety.

Performance Plastics excels at helping customers create intricate injection molded components that can benefit from a combination of high temperature, low surface adhesion, chemical and organic resistance in a package with complex geometries and/or tight tolerances.

Performance Plastics has developed a number of industry leading technologies enabling us to injection mold intricate, thin walled components out of some of the most sheer sensitive materials such as fluoropolymers.  This is critically important when working with sheer sensitive, expensive materials such as fluoropolymers (FEP, PFA, PVDF) and PEEK.

Performance Plastics Ltd offers high-performance injection molding thermoplastic expertise featuring tight tolerances and thin walled part geometries.  The industries we serve include aerospace/defense, medical and industrial applications. For more information, please visit our website at www.performanceplastics.com or [email protected].

/by