Victrex

To further enhance its position as the leading manufacturer of PEEK-based films, Victrex has installed a new high temperature vacuum laminating press system at its manufacturing facility in the Lancashire, United Kingdom. With this addition, Victrex now has the capability of bonding its APTIV film, produced from VICTREX PEEK polymer, to a wide range of other substrates without the use of adhesives. “The press enables us to take advantage of APTIV film’s unique thermoplastic nature which allows it to be heat-laminated to other substrates,” explained John Getz, Global Commercial Leader - APTIV Film. “In effect, we are melting the APTIV film in a very controlled manner to allow it to intimately bond to other substrates including metals, fabrics, itself and other polymer films.”

When a major pneumatic tool manufacturer in Brazil wanted to develop a new line of high rotation tools, it turned to Ensinger for help in manufacturing the compression vanes. Requirements included resistance to flexural loads, and high wear and temperature resistance in dry-running operations. Ensinger chose VICTREX T-Series polymer for the vanes, which not only delivered enhanced mechanical and tribological properties, but helped the manufacturer satisfy environmental requirements.

Victrex Polymer Solutions, a division of Victrex plc and leading provider of high performance polyketones including VICTREX PEEK polymer, VICOTE Coatings and APTIV films, has introduced a new proprietary range of products: VICTREX ST polymer.

When PoroGen Corporation, a leader in the development of high temperature porous polymeric materials, was developing its proprietary PEEK-SEP membrane technology for the separation of liquids and gases, it chose VICTREX® PEEK™ high performance polymer because of its outstanding combination of high temperature and chemical resistance. The innovative PEEK-SEP line of hollow fiber membranes and devices are designed for use in the most demanding separation applications.

When Western Falcon of Houston, Texas, USA, a major manufacturer of tubular linings for downhole applications, wanted to design a new high-performance seamless thermoplastic liner, it chose VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer because of its unique combination of tensile strength, chemical resistance, ductility, temperature capabilities and resilience. The new liner, called Extremetube*, offers optimal resistance to damage from artificial lift rod wear, wireline and slickline, coiled tubing, and other common downhole tools.

A new technical brochure from Victrex highlights how VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer is successfully replacing metal and other thermoplastics in a variety of gear applications. With industry trends moving toward higher performance and efficiencies, weight reduction and miniaturization, as well as lower cost, VICTREX PEEK polymer is a high performance material alternative with a unique combination of properties to meet the challenging requirements for future system performance.

By using Victrex APTIV film as the matrix polymer, Mitsuya, a Japanese developer of carbon fiber composite materials, has developed an innovative prepreg sheet that is thinner - 40µm or less – enabling lighter weight and higher performance than traditional carbon fiber composite materials.

When Dosatron International wanted to simplify the design of its newest generation of pumps (Dosatron® D3 series), it chose VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer for the driving system. The polymer’s exceptional mechanical properties enabled Dosatron to engineer a highly innovative series of high precision dosing pumps designed to meter and mix liquids or water-soluble concentrates.

Victrex has announced the development of a new, cost-effective flame spray process for applying its VICOTE Coatings to various metal and ceramic substrates. Historically, thermal (flame) spray technology has been limited to the application of metal alloys, cermets and some low performance polymers to form a protective coating on the substrate, but all of these coatings have performance limitations despite continued research to develop the process for high performance polymers, this new technique is the first to successfully flame spray a VICTREX PEEK polymer-based coating onto a metal substrate. The result is a tough, durable, high temperature and chemically resistant coating.

By replacing metal in its Spiral Plate Heat Exchangers with APTIV™ film, Makatec of Bondorf, Germany, a leading developer of unique heating and cooling technologies, was able to enhance the design of the exchanger, improve performance and reduce overall systems cost. Heat exchangers are used to transfer heat between fluids and gases. They can also be used as condensers and evaporators.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of VICTREX PEEK polymer. Since the product’s inception, Victrex and its customers have helped revolutionize the plastics market with this high-temperature, high-performance polyketone.

When Amphenol wanted to develop a high performance wiring, cable, and hydraulic tubing clamp that would replace and outperform traditional P-clamps and Saddle clamps, it chose VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer because of its superior strength and ability to reduce overall weight.

To meet the new FAA fuselage “burn-through” barrier requirement for all new aircraft manufactured after September 1, 2009, commercial aircraft producers and insulation manufacturers are actively developing new lightweight thermal acoustic blanket (TAB) insulation systems constructed with APTIV™ PEEK-based covering film. “The APTIV covering film provides an insulation solution that meets the FAA’s new performance requirements while giving the airlines a lighter weight solution versus traditional PVF covering films,” said John Getz, Commercial Manager of the APTIV Films business. “Victrex is pleased to support this new application area and we are well prepared to meet increasing material demand now and in the future.”

When Sung Hyoung Precision, Seoul, Korea, a leading system provider of technological innovation for golf ball core molds, wanted to extend the service life of its core molds, it chose high performance VICOTE® Coatings powder and liquid dispersions as the coating solution to extend the mold’s lifespan and reduce system costs.

In direct response to customer demand, Victrex has enhanced its portfolio by introducing a cosmetic black color APTIV™ film.

Manufacturers of check valves and pressure relief valves for hydraulic and pneumatic compressors are constantly looking for ways to improve the performance of their products. Valve performance, more than any other component, determines compressor efficiency. To achieve improvements such as reduced fluid leakage, noise reduction, longer valve life, and cost reduction, a number of manufacturers are turning to Performance Plastics Ltd. (PPL), a high performance injection molding specialist, for assistance. To meet the requirements, PPL suggests replacing the metal poppets in the valves with poppets made of VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer, a high performance thermoplastic. Substituting plastic for metal maintains strength while improving corrosion resistance, reducing weight, and allowing for greater design flexibility.

When O.T.A.- Bieletro wanted a high performance film for the encapsulation of its RFID tags used on a truck manufacturing line, it chose APTIV™ film based on VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer. The film offers a superior combination of properties including the ability to withstand the extreme temperatures encountered during the vehicle’s painting cycle without any loss in radio frequency signal reception capacity from the device.

When King Polytechnic Engineering Co. Ltd. wanted to replace the PTFE coating on its medium- to large-sized SPIN/DIP coating equipment, it switched to VICOTE® Coating based on VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer because of the coating’s superior chemical resistance, high temperature performance and bonding strength.

Recent technical enhancements in the APTIV™ film portfolio from Victrex plc, have lead to significantly increased market penetration for the innovative VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer based film. In keeping with Victrex’s strategy to continually innovate in all areas of the company, APTIV film has undergone a number of technical advancements, including the introduction of a 12 micron crystalline grade, and other grades in the development pipeline, enabling designers and engineers to harness the benefits of APTIV film and its properties, and utilize APTIV films as a key component in OEM products.

In a bid to improve access to materials data for Victrex’s growing number of energy industry customers, Victrex has launched www.victrexenergy.com, a microsite designed to meet the specific needs of the energy industry. The launch of this new site is part of Victrex’s strategy to continually innovate in all areas of the company, and underlines its “customer-first” approach.