Why Use Torlon®/ PAI for your Applications

November 17, 2021  |  , , ,
Torlon Performance Plastic component

Custom Torlon Performance Plastic Component

Torlon® is a high performance amorphous (non-crystalline) engineering thermoplastic that possesses exceptional physical and chemical qualities.   It is recognized as the highest performing thermoplastic that is still melt processible. Torlon®/PAI is a Polyamide-imide, which are either thermosetting or thermoplastic, amorphous polymers that have exceptional mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistant properties.

Torlon’s® exceptional properties are the result of being transformed from a thermoplastic to a cross-linked thermoset during a curing process. Torlon® is available in glass reinforced and carbon fiber reinforced grades which offer even greater stiffness and enhanced thermal expansion properties. The wear grades offer unmatched performance over a wide range of temperature and PV conditions.

Torlon® can be extruded into shapes and injection molded into intricate custom geometries. It performs well under severe conditions and at continuous temperatures as high as 500° F.  Torlon® possesses remarkable resistance to wear, creep and chemicals, including acids and most organics, which make it ideal for severe environments. Torlon® also has superior electrical and structural strength at high temperatures, excellent radiation resistance, an extremely low coefficient of linear thermal expansion, and exceptional dimensional stability.

Torlon® is the superior choice when applications require extreme high or low temperatures, such as bearings and seals.  PAI polymers offer superior compressive strength and high hardness characteristics that are critical in many applications that demand a high level of wear performance.

Torlon®/PAI polyamide-imides also offer superior toughness or impact strength.  PAI has a high heat deflection temperature and retains higher strength and stiffness at elevated temperatures. With PAI having superior stiffness and a lower coefficient of thermal expansion, this means that PAI has the advantage of better dimensional stability at elevated temperatures. However, PAI does absorb moisture, therefore, this also needs to be considered relative to the potential limitations a lack of humidity control could present with regard to dimensional stability.  PAI has higher tensile and compressive strength in the unreinforced extruded grade which has advantages in some applications.

For more information on Torlon® or other Performance Plastics products, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at [email protected] or call 440-785-7122.

 

An assortment of Torlon Parts

An assortment of Torlon Parts

 

An EnduroSharp(R) Scraper Blade & Holder Kit with Torlon(R) Blades

 

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Discs (GFRD)

November 11, 2021  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing a selection of parts and sizes.

Traditionally, aerospace maintenance professionals removed sealants and adhesives from  gaps utilizing solvents and/or abrasive scraper tools.  Solvents are very dangerous in that they may dissolve unintended materials, and produce hazardous fumes.  Abrasive scraper tools are often hard to control and may cause unintended substrate damage.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFRD) Discs are designed for use with a pneumatic tool. The tools provide aerospace maintenance professionals with an effective method of safely removing flexibilized epoxy gap materials as well as cutting or scoring thick elastomeric coatings without damaging composite substructures.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFRD) Discs are shipped 4 parts per box.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Discs are just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Achieve Better Bonding using the Nutplate Abrasive Tool (NAT)

October 20, 2021  |  , , ,

 

Nutplates are commonly used on aircraft to allow installation and removal of components and panels for maintenance and repair. The use of bonded nutplates over riveted ones reduces manufacturing complexity and leads to weight savings.

Preparation of these bond surfaces is often accomplished through a manual abrasion process or by using chemical solvent wipes. These methods are difficult to control and can lead to variation in the performance of bonded nutplates. Successful installation of bonded nutplates requires the generation of a highly clean and active bonding surface.

That’s why Performance Plastics in conjunction with the University of Dayton Research Institute developed the EnduroSharp® Nutplate Abrasion Tool “NAT”.   The NAT consists of six components: 1 each upper handle (top), 1 each lower handle (base) and 4 each nutplate base inserts.

An alternative to traditional abrasion methods, the “NAT” was specifically designed to allow maintainers to quickly abrade the bond surface of CR series nutplates. The tools radially abrade the bond surface of the nutplate, ensuring that 100% of the bond surface is abraded uniformly in a manner of minutes.

This new technology eliminates interfacial bond failures while increasing pushoff strength and torque-out strength when compared with manual abrasion. Furthermore, the device has been shown to reduce preparation time, decrease variability and lower the instances of nutplate failures both in manufacturing and in the aircraft service environment.

The NAT is available with or without a convenient carrying case. For more information on the Nutplate Abrasive Tool or any other Performance Plastics product, please contact Rich Reed, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Performance Plastics at [email protected] or call 440-785-7122.

 

Operation of the Nutplate Abrasion Tool

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Scraper Blade & Holder Kit with Pneumatic Tool

September 1, 2021  |  , , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic gap blade tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line includes a variety of kits containing all the parts and sizes.

Scraper blades are designed for use in larger areas where a gap blade is too small. Made from a non-marring Torlon® material the blades are a quick, safe and effective method of removing sealants and adhesives from composite structures. Add the optional pneumatic tool to make the removal even quicker and more efficient.
The EnduroSharp® Scraper Blade & Holder Kit is one of the most popular kits offered.

This Kit contains:
The kit comes complete with a standard scraper blade holder, pocket handle, and 10 EnduroSharp® Torlon® Scraper Blades (2 of each size: TSB-170, TSB230, TSB-500, TSB-750, and TSB-1200).

The EnduroSharp® Scraper Blade & Holder kit is just one of the many kits offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed for our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected], more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Bits (Part 2)

August 11, 2021  |  , , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing a selection of parts and sizes.

Traditionally, aerospace maintenance professional removed sealants and adhesives from from gaps utilizing solvents and/or abrasive scraper tools.  Solvents are very dangerous in that they may dissolve non intended materials, and also produce hazardous fumes.  Abrasive scraper tools are often hard to control and may cause unintended substrate damage.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFR) Bits are designed for use with an ergonomically-designed pneumatic tool. The tools provide aerospace maintenance professionals with an effective method of safely removing flexibilized epoxy gap materials from gaps and epoxy fillers from fasteners without damaging composite substructures and fasteners.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFR) Bits are available in a spiral single fluted, 1.70″ X 0.162″ configuration and shipped 10 parts per box.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Bits are just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Cutters

July 27, 2021  |  , ,

Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Cutters (TAC)

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing a selection of parts and sizes.

Cutters traditionally are used for enlarging, cleaning or preparing surfaces with cylindric or conical shape.  But most common cutters are made of materials such as steel, carbide or ceramics and tend to damage complex composite materials.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Cutters (TAC) are designed to be used with the standard (non-segmented) and tetherable (segmented) mandrels.  They can also be used with electric (corded and battery powered) and pneumatic drills rated at 600 RPM or less.  TAC tools are available in boxes of 10, or as part of the EnduroSharp® surface preparation kits.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Reamers are just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Reamers

July 8, 2021  |  , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing a selection of parts and sizes.

Reamer’s are traditionally a rotary cutting tool of cylindric or conical shape used for enlarging and finishing to accurate dimensions holes that have been drilled, bored or cored.

One of our most popular products, the EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Reamers (TAR) are non-metallic, multi-fluted, straight-walled reamers. They are used to remove non-metallic debris such as cured sealants and adhesives from fastener and bushing holes in metallic or composite structures without damaging the structures.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Reamer (TAR) tools are shipped 10 parts per box.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Adhesive Reamers are just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Bits (GFR)

June 23, 2021  |  , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line also includes a variety of kits containing many of the parts and sizes.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Bits (GFR) are designed for use with an ergonomically designed pneumatic tool.  The tools provide maintenance professionals with an effective method of safely removing flexible epoxy gap materials from gaps and epoxy fillers from fasteners without damaging composite substructures and fasteners.

EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal (GFR) Bits are available in a spiral single fluted, 1.70″ X 0.162″ configuration and shipped 10 parts per box.

The EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Filler Removal Bit is just one of the many different items offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected],  for more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products.

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Product Spotlight – EnduroSharp Torlon Gap Blade & Holder Kit (Part 2)

May 5, 2021  |  , ,

EnduroSharp® has changed the way aerospace maintenance professionals remove sealants and adhesives from substrates and fasteners. EnduroSharp® tools are made from Torlon®, a high strength polymer, creating a non-metallic gap blade tool that will not damage composite structures during use. The EnduroSharp® lineup consists of a variety of scraper blades, gap blades, reamers, cutters, bits, and discs for removal of adhesives on aircrafts. The product line includes a variety of kits containing all the parts and sizes.

Gap blades are designed for use in smaller spaces where scraper blades are too large.  With a multi head edge, they are a quick, safe and effective method of removing gap materials, sealants and adhesives from composite structures.

The EnduroSharp® Gap Blade & Holder Kit is one of the most popular kits offered.

This Kit contains:

15 EnduroSharp® Torlon® Gap Blades – 1 each of EnduroSharp® part numbers:

TGB-75-75, TGB-75-16, TGB-75-25, TGB-10-75, TGB-10-16, TGB-10-25, TGB-12-75, TGB-12-16, TGB-12-25, TGB-17-75, TGB-17-16, TGB-17-25, TGB-23-75, TGB-23-16, and TGB-23-25), 1 each, “Pocket” Scraper Blade Holder (Part Number: ESSBH002), and 1 each, Standard Scraper Blade Holder (Part Number: ESHH003).  The blades slide and lock into the detent pin of the standard gap holder handle, to easily alternate between the sizes as needed.

The EnduroSharp® Gap & Holder kit is just one of the many kits offered in the EnduroSharp® Product line. Contact Rich Reed for our Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at (513) 321-8404 or [email protected], more information on our EnduroSharp® kits and products

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Overview of EnduroSharp™ Nonmetallic (Torlon®) Aircraft Maintenance Tools Presentation

April 13, 2021  |  , , ,
  • New Torlon(R) Nonmetallic Tools
  • Under contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials
    Integrity Branch (AFRL/RXSA), the University of Dayton Research
    Institute (UDRI) developed improved material removal tools & accessories
  • Transitioning developed tools to multiple weapons systems for material
    removal applications on composite components
  • Injection molded from Torlon® 5030 – Solvay’s polyamide-imide (PAI) resin
    30% glass reinforced plastic
  • Commercially available from Performance Plastics (Cincinnati, OH)
    • EnduroSharp™ trade name

Overview-of-EnduroSharp™-Nonmetallic-Torlon®-Aircraft-Maintenance-Tools-Presentation

 

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