RTP Company Introduces All-Polymeric Wear Additive Compounds with Improved Properties

WINONA, MINNESOTA, USA -- Global custom engineered thermoplastic compounder RTP Company recently commercialized a new line of all-polymeric wear additive (APWA) compounds offering improved wear resistance. Free of particulate or fluid additives, the materials provide excellent plastic-on-plastic performance without sacrificing properties inherent to the host resin. "By eliminating traditional wear reducing additives, such as PTFE or silicone, we have been able to significantly increase mechanical performance in these compounds," said Tom Cordes, General Manager?Wear Products at RTP Company. "Using our new olefin-based APWA technology we are able to better maintain crucial base resin properties ? such as strength, impact resistance, and specific gravity ? allowing molded parts to perform more consistently in end-use applications." "Not only are wear performance and all-around properties improved," added Cordes, "our APWA compounds are both non-halogenated and RoHS-compliant, making them more environmentally responsible." Additionally, APWA materials will not produce "plate-out." which is a common issue with PTFE materials. Plate-out is additive residue that builds up in mold cavities requiring processors to regularly stop production to perform cleaning, reducing production yields. Benefits of RTP Company's APWA compounds include: * Improved plastic-on-plastic wear resistance and reduced friction resulting in higher PV load capacity during standard ASTM D3702 thrust washer testing. * Improved flow during molding permitting thin walls and intricate designs to fill easily. * Blemish-free surface appearance and complete colorability makes it ideal for visible components and consumer items. * Produce more parts or use less material with specific gravity reductions of up to 10% over similar PTFE-lubricated materials. * Better lot-to-lot and part-to-part consistency, because unlike other olefin-based wear reducing additives, APWA compounds are not reactively extruded. * Halogen-free and RoHS Compliant providing eco-friendliness for use in electrical & electronics applications. * No plate-out issues that are common to PTFE lubricated materials and require regular mold cleaning and lost production time. * Retention of critical host resin physical properties by not using particulate or fluid additives. RTP Company's APWA compounds are initially available worldwide in five resin systems commonly used for wear resistant applications: nylon 6/6 (PA), polycarbonate (PC), acetal (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene alloy (PC/ABS). A flame retardant grade in PC is also available and product development work with other resins systems continues. The new olefin-based APWA technology is ideal for gears, bushings, rollers, impellers, and moving/sliding parts in industrial equipment, business machine, and fluid handling applications. A complete portfolio of wear resistant compounds, using all available additive technologies, are available from RTP Company ? whose polymer experts regularly assist in determining which provides the best solution for unique end-use application requirements. As a full-service custom compounder RTP Company also has the ability to engineer products that provide multiple solutions in a single material, allowing wear resistance to be combined with conductivity, flame retardance, or other performance criteria. For more information, contact RTP Company at 507-454-6900 or 800-433-4787, or e-mail rtp@rtpcompany.com. About RTP Company RTP Company, headquartered in Winona, Minn., is a global compounder of custom engineered thermoplastics. The company has ten manufacturing plants on three continents, plus sales representatives throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. RTP Company's engineers develop customized thermoplastic compounds in over 60 different engineering resin systems for applications requiring color, conductive, elastomeric, flame retardant, high temperature, structural, and wear resistant properties.