What are Timco Technical Thermoplastics?

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Engineering plastics are a form of polymer that are well known for their high mechanical strength, versatility, and ability to be melted and reformed into other shapes.  For decades, engineers have seen plastics replace metal in applications where weight reduction, corrosion resistance or low coefficient of friction is needed to reduce wear on mating parts. […]

Thermal Insulation Applications

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As a full service provider of non-metallic materials, WS Hampshire is not limited to Ryertex and Timco Technical Thermoplastics that you probably know us best by. WS Hampshire supplies asbestos free thermal insulation boards for applications such as platen presses, foundries, glass handling, molding machines, fire protection, or customized applications with temperatures up to 1,800ºF. Materials include various Marinite, Glastherm, Transite, […]

“Dry” Versus “Conditioned” Nylon Explained

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European cast nylon producers, and injection molding resin guides, report both “dry” and “conditioned” data for nylon-based materials which are hygroscopic (absorb moisture from the air) and can absorb upwards of 8% moisture by weight at saturation (compared to 0.8% for acetal). This is a completely reversible physical reaction as the higher the humidity, the […]

Happy Thanksgiving

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  Dear customers, vendors, and partners, Thank you for allowing us to do what we do.  As we enter the Thanksgiving week, we are reminded again that we would not be in the amazing position that we are today without the trust, support, and commitment that we receive from you every day.  Whether you are […]

The Process of Annealing Plastics

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  Although the chemical-mechanical properties of plastic are largely determined by their chemical composition, their properties can be modified via heat treatment. One of the most commonly used heat treatment methods to alter the mechanical properties of plastic is annealing.

NYLON – WHY ARE THERE SO MANY AND WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?

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Nylon – chemically polyamide (PA, not to be confused with polyimide, PI) was invented in 1935 by DuPont’s Wallace Carothers (PA 6/6). Nylon 6 (PA 6, extruded), or polycaprolactam, was developed by Paul Schlack at IG Farben to reproduce the properties of nylon 6/6 without violating DuPont’s patent. Initially used in fibers to replace silk […]

UHMW-PE – VERSIONS, USES, LIMITATIONS

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Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMW) is one the most widely used thermoplastic materials today. It is defined as having a minimum molecular mass (molecule length) of 3.2 million; some resins go as high as 7.5 million (for reference, HDPE = ~1MM, LDPE = ~500,000) UHMWPE advantages in its virgin form: odorless, tasteless, and nontoxic […]

Lubrication Issues? Get the Grease Out!

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SELF LUBRICATING MATERIALS CAN HELP! Either as an OEM making equipment, or as an end user, lubrication of moving parts is a major consideration – and ongoing cost – in the life of the equipment. Do you find yourself buying more lubricants than you should, or replacing “friction and wear” parts too frequently? Grease is […]

Designing parts with Coefficient of Linear Thermal Expansion in mind

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Most materials will expand when heated and shrink when cooled. Consider expansion joints on bridges – even concrete with rebar will move with temperature changes. The coefficient of lineal thermal expansion is used to calculate how much expansion or contraction will occur when a plastic part is heated or cooled.  The lower the figure, the […]

Failure Analysis of Thermoplastic Parts

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“The part failed!” All plastic parts suppliers have received this frantic call and while you want an explanation and immediate solution, it’s critical to find out exactly what went wrong before beginning to determine how to address the problem. First, it’s important to know that most failures are due to a series of events. The […]