(Newswire.net — November 7, 2013) Anaheim, CA — There are a wide variety of plastic materials available in the market. Many plastics can resist chemicals, some materials can withstand high temperatures, but few materials have the high ratings of Ultem. Some consider Ultem to be the ‘Ultimate Plastic Material’.
Some key characteristics of Ultem – PEI (Polyetherimide), are low moisture absorption, high glass transition temperature, long term heat resistance, excellent dimensional stability, and its resistance to a broad range of chemicals (automotive fluids, cleaning solvents, alcohols, and aqueous solutions).
Sabic Ultem 1000
Ultem material is used for many medical purposes because of the heat resistance, flame resistance, and solvent resistance. It is great for use in sterilization trays because of its ability to withstand certain methods like EtO gas, Gamma radiation, and autoclaves to sterilize repeatedly. PEI also has excellent resistance to detergents and disinfectants.
Originally invented by the General Electric Plastic Division, Polyetherimide was trade named Ultem. In May of 2007, Sabic purchased the entire General Electric Plastics Division for $11 billion. Sabic has continued to produce and improve the Ultem product line. Sabic Ultem 1000 is an amber-to-transparent thermoplastic with characteristics similar to the related plastic PEEK Sheet or Rod.
Natural unfilled Ultem 1000 has a high dielectric strength and a natural flame resistance with extremely low smoke generation and low moisture absorption. It is the standard unfilled grade of PEI which is capable of performing particularly well in wet and hot air environments. After 10,000 hours of exposure to boiling water, PEI retains 85% of its tensile strength.
Why Use Sabic Ultem PEI
In situations where heat and fluids are introduced together such as in water pumps, expansion valves, hot water reservoirs, and other heat and fluid exchange systems, Ultem resins offer substantial resistance to heat for long term applications, superior hydrolytic stability, and good weld line strength. Ultem PEI retains a higher percentage of its mechanical strength than many other thermoplastic materials when it is exposed to these elevated temperatures.
Ultem is a great material for both aircraft and automotive applications. It is a high performance and cost effective alternative to most other materials, being strong enough to replace steel in some applications and light enough to replace aluminum in many others.
Some examples of these applications might be; transmission components, throttle bottles, ignition components, sensors, thermostat housings, air and fuel valves, interior cladding parts and semi structural components. Ultem (PEI) is an excellent material for aircraft interiors because of its very low smoke and toxic gas emission.
Sabic Ultem Sheet and Rod Availability
Additional grades of Sabic Ultem include a variety of Glass Filled materials, and several high end medical grades of Ultem. The most popular grade is the unfilled, Ultem 1000. The most common Glass Filled grade is the Ultem 2300, which contains a pre-mixed 30% glass fill which is blended during production for a uniform dispersion throughout a finished part.
Available in Sheet (.250” – 4.0” thickness, 24” x 48” in length & width), Rod ( .250” – 6.0” diameter and up to 120” in length), and also in Film ( .005” – .187” thickness and up to 24” wide –roll up to .030”).
Consider Ultem Sheet or Ultem Rod for your next high demand part, Ultem is the Ultimate Plastic for tough applications.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~