Proprietary Tech Creates Stable Machining Grades of Polyolefin Stock Shapes

Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products (Quadrant EPP), Reading, Penn., is developing an entire new family of Stable Machining Grade (SMG) materials that will improve the performance and productivity of parts made from polyolefin base materials.

The company has utilized its R&D capabilities to create the new materials—which will be launched over a two year period, starting this month (see below). Each will hit the market with inventory already-in-place, along with a suite of collateral and training materials. According to product marketing manager Doug Mahler, each of these materials reportedly stretches the boundaries that may have existed for machinable shapes manufactured from PP and PE.

The new materials each boast a special performance characteristic, such as dimensional stability, higher temperature resistance, or enhanced purity. Each formulation was developed based on market feedback—some of it segment specific—that helped researchers better understand the problems machine builders were having with existing, traditional polyolefin formulations.

Quadrant officials also reveal that there are no additives or reinforcements, per se that contribute to the performance of these formulations. Rather, the key is more in the proprietary processing method developed by the company. All they will say is that typical manufacturing of these types of polymer stock shapes results in a buildup of stored energy—energy that is trapped inside the material so that when people or machines cut into them, energy is released in the form of movement. Quadrant claims that it has developed a process that removes that energy from the material. As such, when it is machined, there is no release and therefore no movement.

The first product launch is Proteus LF PP (Lay Flat Polypropylene). It is a proprietary SMG-formulated homopolymer sheet that exhibits superior dimensional stability and flatness after aggressive fabrication. It boasts excellent chemical and moisture resistance and is FDA and USDA compliant.

Proteus LF PP was designed to target applications where standard PP plate and sheet products cannot hold dimensional stability tolerances specified. It is said to allow for faster cycle times, increase unmanned machine hours and eliminates costly secondary part finishing operations, ultimately resulting in lower part cost.

Because it is said to be easy to fabricate, this industrial grade can be used in such markets as metal plating, chemical processing, semiconductor, electronics, and even medical and food processing thanks to its resistance to aggressive cleaners.