Products and Solutions

MaxSpin™ - a DIM Celazole PBI TU-60 roller is revolutionizing Metal Spining Industry

CUSTOMER SEES 400% IMPROVEMENT IN FIXTURES PRODUCED PER SPINNING WHEEL WITH SWITCH TO CELAZOLE

"When a new variant in polymeric forming wheels was tested by a fabricator of spun aluminum lighting fixtures, he had one immediate observation, and second which developed over time. Immediately, he noticed a brighter finish in his spun metal fixtures. As a function of the formulation of the Celazole® T-Series wheels’ ideal hardness, the pores of the aluminum fixtures closed more tightly, resulting in a significantly more brilliant reflecting surface. Post machine polishing was reduced. And over time, the fabricator calculated he was able to process four times as many fixtures per T-Series wheel as he had from the polyamide-imide wheels he was accustomed to using. Eventually converting the entire shop to T-Series wheels, the fabricator realized higher quality finishes on his fixtures, longer wheel life, and lower unit costs."

CELAZOLE® PBI - T-Series

T-Series products are composites of Celazole PBI and polyarlyetherketones and come in formulations designed for some of the most demanding industrial, chemical, petrochemical and semiconductor applications imagined. At the heart of the T-Series compound is Polybenzimidazole (PBI) – the world’s highest performing thermoplastic; a highly stable linear heterocyclic polymer known for its exceptionally high (427C) glass transition temperature, high strength, thermal stability and broad chemical resistance. Tractability for injection molding and extrusion is obtained by compounding the PBI with polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Independently, PEEK is a high performance thermoplastic with excellent mechanical properties, chemical resistance and thermal stability, but when compounded with PBI, certain performance advantages of PBI carry through to the composite, while the processability of PEEK makes the products more functional. The advantage of T-Series over ordinary PEEK is the unexpected property set that results from the combination with PBI and other fillers (when present) that yield higher heat deflection temperatures (HDT), higher moduli, higher strength, improved wear resistance and lower creep. In the T-Series composites, HDT’s can be raised to 330C, just below the crystalline melting point of PEEK. A desirable balance of performance and tractability is obtained with the T-Series products that place the group’s thermo-mechanical performance above PEEK, but below PBI. T-Series is designed for injection molding of parts that perform, but are cost effectively produced and have the following advatages:

Highest compressive strength of any unfilled resin
Excellent tensile and flexural strength
Good fatigue properties; low creep
Excellent hardness
Low coefficient of friction
Outstanding Tg and heat deflection temperature (HDT)
Relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion
High volume resistivity
Very good plasma resistance

Celazole® T-Series Applications

Bearing cages
Bushings
Compressor vanes
Conveyor systems
Dynamic load bearing components
Dynamic seals
Electrical connectors
End effector pads
Gears
Glass handling
Metal spinning rollers
Office equipment
Oil field equipment
Oven conveyors
Piston rings
Plane bearings
Planetary gears
Plasma torch tips, insulators, swirl baffles
Pump bearings
Semiconductor wafer transportation
Sliding surfaces
Soldering equipment
Synchronizer rings
Temperature sensor housings
Textile equipment
Thrust washers
Tilt pad bearings
Turbines
Turbo charger bushings
Valve seats, stem seals, packings

PEEK/PEKK Stock Shapes & CMP Rings

VICTREX® PEEK polymer is widely regarded as one of the highest performing thermoplastics in the world. Products are available as melt filtered granules, milled fine powders, or compounds containing a variety of functional fillers and reinforcements. They are used in the design and manufacture of high performance applications to replace metals and other materials to improve performance, increase design freedom and reduce system costs. VICTREX PEEK polymers have prompted advances across industries. They remain a source of active innovation. As a metal replacement solution, these high-performance polymers help meet key engineering requirements in critical components.

VICTREX® PEEK is a semi-crystalline material with an ability to withstand extreme environments. It is generally considered to be the highest performance, melt processable polymer on the market today. VICTREX® PEEK is widely accepted in the semiconductor market for applications requiring an excellent balance of properties.

PEEK is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic with excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained to high temperatures. The processing conditions used to mold PEEK can influence the crystallinity, and hence the mechanical properties. The Young's modulus is 3.6 GPa and its tensile strength 90 to 100 MPa. PEEK has a glass transition temperature of around 143 °C (289 °F) and melts around 343 °C (662 °F). Some grades have a useful operating temperature of up to 250 °C (482 °F) . It is highly resistant to thermal degradation as well as attack by both organic and aqueous environments. It is attacked by halogens and strong acids as well as some halogenated compounds and aliphatic hydrocarbons at high temperatures. It dissolves completely in concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature. Because of its robustness, PEEK is used to fabricate items used in demanding applications, including bearings, piston parts, pumps, HPLC columns, compressor plate valves, and cable insulation. It is one of the few plastics compatible with ultra-high vacuum applications. It is extensively used in the aerospace, automotive, and chemical process industries.

CMP RETAINING RINGS

VICTREX® PEEK performs extremely well in all CMP
processes. It is ideally suited for CMP retaining rings
because of its:

• Outstanding wear properties
- better wear resistance than PPS in all processes
- better ring uniformity across CMP ring face

• Low defectivity rates
- VICTREX® PEEK rings demonstrate equivalent or better defectivity rates vs. PPS

• Flexible processing
- injection molding, extrusion and compression molding

• Easy to machine and outstanding dimensional stability

• Inherently pure and very stable
- low particle shedding, low extractables
• Resistant to broad range of CMP chemical environments
- pH range of VICTREX® PEEK : 2-14

• Excellent cost/performance balance
- lower per wafer processing cost than PPS

• Wear properties can be customized with fillers
- up to eight times the life of a PPS ring

DuPont Vespel® polyimide: the Aerospace material

Vespel® is the DuPont trade name for a group of materials used to make a wide variety of components. These include fasteners such as screws, flat washers, hex nuts, hex head cap screws, etc. Vespel® is used to make custom parts such as valve seals, thrust washers, pintle tips and actuator guide bushings. It is a high performance plastic used principally in the semiconductor, aerospace and in transportation applications.

Vespel® parts for aircraft engines are lighter than metal and provide high performance for military, commercial and industrial aircraft engines.

DuPont filed its first polyimide patent October 19, 1953 and in less than 10 years, Vespel® SP polyimide aircraft engine parts were specified for Pratt & Whitney’s JT8D turbofan gas turbine engine.

This engine was used to power Boeing’s 727 aircraft. The low wear and friction, broad temperature compatibility, self-lubrication, and lighter weight contributed to fuel efficiency, durability and reduced maintenance costs.

DuPont™ Vespel® polyimide parts for aircraft engine parts are now specified in all types of gas turbine engines (military, commercial and industrial) including turboprops, turbojets, turbofans, land-marine, industrial, and auxiliary power units.

DuPont provides an ever-increasing breadth of polyimides for aerospace applications, producing custom parts and stock shapes from polyimide resins. In 1992 DuPont acquired Tribon (founded in 1976 in Ohio), establishing polyimide and non-polyimide polymeric composites and component integration capabilities (such as carbon-lined metallic assemblies) which customers have selected for applications within aircraft engines, nacelles, and thrust reversers.

The introduction of Vespel® SCP polyimide, coupled with advanced filler technology, expanded the heat and chemical resistance limits of earlier polyimides, while increasing compression strength at 5% strain by 60%. Designed to closely match the thermal expansions of aluminum and steel, Vespel® SCP-50094 and SCP-5050 help reduce engine service costs by increasing the wear life of the polyimide components and enable greater engine efficiencies, with improved life at thermal extremes.

The compressor section of aircraft engines often contains pivot points associated with the actuation of the unison ring that oscillates the numerous variable stator vanes. The friction at the variable stator vane bushings and washers, unison ring bushings and pads, and bell crank bushings determine the size and force required for the actuator.

A smaller actuator translates to lower cost, weight, space and fuel savings. High-friction metallic components drive the actuation forces up and create metal-on-metal wear, leading to expensive repairs. Vespel® parts enable smaller, lighter-weight actuators to save fuel costs and eliminate metal-on-metal wear, for extended maintenance cycles.

Thrust reversers are systems used to help slow an aircraft after landing by redirecting the thrust of the aircraft engine. The reversers often utilize a cascade design, which relies upon a track and an actuator to deploy and stow the reverser.

Vespel® parts used as track liners and slide blocks provide low-friction and low-wear, plus chemical and heat resistance, for smaller, lighter-weight actuators, to save fuel cost.

DuPont Vespel® polyimide parts have a documented record of reliability and durability in wafer handling, wafer processing, IC handling and testing and other semiconductor manufacturing processes. Vespel® offers an alternative to ceramics, quartz and unproven types of plastics while reducing ownership costs with extended life in the chamber and longer maintenance intervals. Super clean to improve die yields Vespel® gives you the cleanliness needed to deliver consistently high yields. DuPont process research and manufacturing controls have kept pace with the fab’s needs forever cleaner materials. Vespel® parts are offer extremely high purity, negligible trace metal content, virtually no particulate shedding in plasma and insignificant outgassing properties. To meet ever tightening contamination requirements, DuPont is continuously improving the cleanliness of Vespel® parts. For more than 30 years, Vespel® parts have provided a unique combination of strength, toughness and low wear to withstand the rigors of repeated handling, cleaning cycles, mechanical abuse and permanent deformation. And their good compliance allows reliable sealing. Vespel® parts serve reliably at temperatures up to 288°C (550°F) in many applications. For limited periods, they can endure temperatures of 482°C (900°F) or more. Elevated temperatures have little effect on mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, flexural modulus and compressive strength.