Polymer company Piper Plastics has developed the KyronMAX series of structural short fiber thermoplastic compounds.
According to the company, the compounds could outperform the mechanical strength of long fiber thermoplastic (LFT) materials.
‘KyronMAX materials consistently outperform LFT polymers, especially when measuring the performance of the molded part, which is the true test,’ claimed David Wilkinson, polymer technology manager at Piper Plastics. They overcome all the limitations associated with LFT compounds while yielding stronger molded parts that are also lighter in weight.’
KyronMAX compounds ares based on short fiber technology, so the polymer behaves more like the isotropic nature of metal and eliminates the processing and fiber breakage concerns associated with LFT compounds, the company said. The technology enables complex parts to be molded with improved mechanical performance and consistency. Very complex parts can be molded with wall thicknesses down to 0.015’ (0.038 cm), according to Piper.
Competitive structural compounds use high fiber loadings and long fiber lengths to achieve the desired mechanical performance, but the performance of these materials often do not translate into the molded parts, due to weld line strength loss and fiber length reduction during processing, the company added. In contrast, KyronMAX technology can outperform all other thermoplastic compounds using short fiber technology and much lower filler loadings. ‘The lower filler content results in a tough, structural plastic that can be utilized in extremely aggressive applications, yet is still processing friendly and does not require specialized molding equipment,’ said Wilkinson.
The material has tensile strengths above 51,000 psi (352 MPa) and flexural modulus above 6,500,000 psi (44,816 MPa) and is available in various thermoplastics including PA, PPA, PPSA, PEI, PEEK, with more in current development.
This story is reprinted from material from Piper, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
