Injection Molded PFA in the Lithium Ion Battery

December 17, 2021  |  , , , ,

The Lithium Ion Battery industry has begun using more and more plastic parts in their manufacturing processes. Most batteries intended for light vehicle usage now have 50% more plastic materials than they did even 10 years ago.  Some batteries have entirely plastic formulations ranging from the electrolyte (polymeric electrolytes) to the casing.  This is due to the very low weight of plastics as compared to metals. Plastic incorporation in batteries increases the electrolyte efficiency if used in polymeric electrolytes.

Commercially available lithium-ion batteries also use plastics. Plastic components incorporated in batteries include separators, gaskets, and casing components. Plastics have good shock absorbing characteristics and prevent damage to the basic cell unit from minor accidental shocks. Also, plastics such as Teflon® PFA, Ultem® PEI, and PPSU have high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and are electrical insulators so they are excellent at preventing short-circuit and “rapid disassembly.”

There has been a major shift from metal to resins in gasket manufacturing. Gaskets can be made from Ultem®, Ryton PPS and Fluoropolymers (PFA plastic) because of high heat resistance, chemical resistance, and ability to mold thin walls (.012”). Plastic parts may also lower the cost of production of batteries and may eventually replace most metallic components of batteries.

Performance Plastics is highly skilled at designing and molding high performance materials such as FEP/PFA, Ultem®, Torlon®, PEEK, POM, and PPS.  We work with our customers to solve technically challenging problems.   We can propose materials to implement part functionality in the design stage of development. We offer manufacturing solutions such as a clean room, the ability to offer direct gating of fluoropolymers, high volume production, visual inspection and automated facilities.

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

 

 

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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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Performance Plastics – Experts in Molding High Performance Plastics – Torlon®

May 12, 2021  |  , , , , , ,

Performance Plastics specializes in precision injection molding of high-performance plastics. Our precise production process gives us the ability to injection mold difficult polymers, producing high quality thermoplastic products.

High performance plastic materials, such as PAI (Polyamidimide) Torlon®, possess ideal properties when it comes to molding for strength and durability. Recognized as one of the highest performing thermoplastic materials, Torlon® exhibits greater compressive strength and impact resistance than other high-performance plastics. Torlon’s high creep resistance and extremely low coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) provides excellent thermal stability. This provides for creating manufactured parts that exhibit high levels of tensile strength, friction wear, compression strength, and rigidity, ensuring exceptional mechanical loading capabilities up to 525°F (275°C).

At Performance Plastics, we are experts in injection molding, specializing in high performance plastics. High performance plastics, such as Torlon®, can be extremely difficult to injection mold due to the polymers unique structure. Torlon® is a reactive polymer, which can cause complications during the injection molding process. A specific set of conditions, equipment, and processing procedures must be followed to effectively injection mold Torlon®. Our proprietary tool design software, processes and equipment enables us to injection mold components having complex geometries made from challenging ultra, high-performance thermoplastic materials and reinforced compounds.

We utilize a unique combination of extensive material knowledge, mold flow analysis, a design system and process expertise to eliminate or minimize the need for secondary operations. Our expertise in process control allows us to effectively injection mold Torlon® in parts with extremely tight tolerances. This gives us the ability to provide you with an injection molded part made from the highest strength and stiffness of any commercial thermoplastic.

Torlon® is one of the many high performance polymers Performance Plastics offers.  For more information on Performance Plastic’s capabilities, please contact Rich Reed, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing at 513.321.8404 or email at [email protected].

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CT Scanning – Understanding All Aspects of Your Part

August 25, 2020  |  ,

Performance Plastics’ Mechanical Engineer, Jordan Murray, dives into the CT Scanning process, explaining the benefits of CT scanning and how it allows us to understand all aspects of your part.

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