Materials: Cost-Efficient PEEK as Replacement for PAI in Industrial Applications
Domo’s Thermec K, blended with a solid polymeric lubricant, is targeted for uses ranging from bushings & bearings to food processing machinery components.
A new cost-efficient PEEK compound that is positioned to replace higher cost and more complex to process PAI (polyamide-imides) is the latest addition to the Thermec range of enhanced polymers from German engineering thermoplastics compounder Domo Chemicals (U.S. office in Buford, Ga. Thermec K is blended with a solid polymeric lubricant and was developed at Domo’s Mumbai-based laboratory in India, a huge market for friction and wear resistant materials. This engineering compounds is suitable for numerous industrial applications, including bushings & bearings, aerospace parts, pump & valve components, medical instrument parts and food processing machinery components.
Said Domo’s India manager Tushar Parida, “Generally speaking, the mechanical properties of PAI are higher than those of PEEK-based parts, due to the different types of polymers the material contains. But it is more expensive too. However, through the careful formulation work of our Indian development team, we have been able to match the friction & wear performance and dry lubrication properties of PAI in a PEEK-based solution.”
The Mumbai team has shown that Thermec K is suitable for numerous applications, especially when low wear, low coefficient of friction at temperatures of up to 200 C/392 F and resistance to high load-bearing conditions, is required. Furthermore, it grants a lower density of 1.32g/cm3, compared to a PAI solution of 1.42g/cm3.
In addition,Thermec K can be processed using standard injection molding, making unnecessary the use of complex cold injection molding equipment followed by a lengthy steam curing process. Thermec K offers several material property benefits ranging from exceptional performance at elevated temperatures, chemical resistance, mechanical strength, strong wear and fatigue resistance, and dielectric strength.
Currently available in India, Thermec K will be made available globally depending on demand.
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