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In this issue, our friends at Ticona provide several free, downloadable articles through The Plastics Store™ focusing on plastics gears, precision medical parts and the fundamentals of designing with plastics.
Read on to learn more!
Warmest wishes,
The IDES Team
Utilizing an Engineering Resin Supplier's Technical Support
By: Frank C. Jaarsma
Whether you are involved with engineering thermoplastics as a molder, designer or resin specifier, from time to time
you will have technical questions. Regardless of whether your business buys these resins by the truckload, or is just making
the first tentative steps into the plastics area, you want fast, accurate information. Sometimes the questions are difficult and revolve around major issues, while
other times a quick reality check is all that is needed.
Do you have a relationship with the technical service department of your engineering resin supplier that permits you
to get quick answers? This paper will explain the types of technical resources typically available from engineering resin
suppliers, and how to most effectively access them. It will answer common questions such as, whom should I call and what is
reasonable to request.
Using and Specifying Plastic Gears
By: Zan Smith
Injection molded plastic gears have come a long way. Historically, they were limited to
very low power transmissions such as clocks, printers and lawn sprinklers. Today's
stronger, more consistent engineering polymers, and better control of the molding
process, now make it possible to produce larger, more precise gears that are compatible
with higher horsepower. For example, Whirlpool enhanced a 3/4 hp drive for another
washing machine with a spin gear molded in fiberglass reinforced acetal copolymer. The
molded plastic gear cost was about a fifth of what the original machined metal gear cost and
reduced the weight of the drive.
As the experience base with plastic gears has grown, computer aided design tools have
advanced. For instance, CAD software can now optimize plastic gear designs based on
temperature, moisture pickup and other environmental factors. Ticona developed
P-GEAR, the Plastic Gear Evaluation and Research tester, specifically to test plastic gears in
different service environments. The new data will allow design engineers to more
accurately predict gear performance. Better predictions mean faster, shorter design cycles
since the development phase may be approached with greater confidence.
How High Performance LCPs Cut the Cost of Precision Medical Parts
By: Michael J. Braeckel
With liquid crystal polymers (LCPs), the medical device designer can improve part economics as
well as performance and processing compared with metals and other plastic materials. LCPs
eliminate costly machining, fill thinner walls, shorten molding cycles, and provide higher yields
of stronger, more precise parts. By virtue of their design and processing advantages, LCPs can
indeed justify raw material cost which may be higher than some other resins. How can medical
designers capitalize on the design flexibility and cost savings possible with LCPs?
To start, a
fundamental concept must be understood:
The cost-effectiveness of a resin lies in the finished
cost per useable part, not in the price per pound of plastic.
Designing With Plastic: The Fundamentals
This design manual serves as a general purpose reference source for the experienced plastic product designer as well as the design engineer new to plastics. It should also be of interest to nondesigners and management personnel who need a general overview of the concepts and critical issues related to the world of plastics. Although the manual is not a guide to injection molding, many of the design considerations are based upon molding criteria, so those involved in the manufacturing and processing of plastic parts should also find it useful.
Acetal & TPE News
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Ticona Now Offers Celstran® Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics
For the first time, Ticona has added continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites to its Celstran product portfolio. The polymer manufacturer’s new offering comes in response to the increasing demand for materials that are both light weight and able to withstand high levels of stress. - Ticona Introduces Family of Antimicrobial Acetals
The growing concern over bacterial contamination in many settings has led Ticona to introduce Anti-Crobe™ Antimicrobial Polymers, a family of antimicrobial acetal copolymers (POM) that includes two injection molding grades and an extrusion grade.
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