Polyimide direct formed parts

The direct forming process is used to produce precise series parts from high temperature plastics. High-speed vertical automatic presses (mechanical or hydraulic) compress the powder in the mould cavity. The blanks are then sintered for several hours at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen.

Direct formed parts show less distortion and avoid weld lines. In particular, direct formed parts are mainly used for applications which experience high loads at elevated temperatures in demanding applications at high speed and pressure even without any lubrication.
Thanks to high purity and excellent temperature resistance from -270 °C to 300 °C direct formed parts are extremely suitable for use in vacuum applications as well as in the extreme temperatures like cryogenic and high temperatures. 

With direct forming technology less material is used for the part production compared to other production methods. For simple direct formed parts no post-machining is necessary. Short cycle times result in economical series production from batch sizes larger than 1000.

TECASINT 6000 product line from Ensinger includes four innovative non-melting polyimide grades. TECASINT 6000 is only suitable for the direct forming process. These polyimides are characterised by outstanding thermal-oxidative stability and high mechanical strength. Mass loss at a temperature of 400 °C is marginal,  therefore it is ideally suited for high loaded applications with temperature of use above 300 °C. 

Significantly higher modulus, excellent wear and friction properties as well as high creep resistance  distinguish TECASINT for high demanding applications where other high-performance materials will fail.

The TECASINT 6000 family from Ensinger offers the following modifications for the direct forming process:

• Unfilled polyimide - TECASINT 6012 natural
• Graphit reinforced polyimide - TECASINT 6022 black
• Polyimide with high graphite filling - TECASINT 6032 black
• Polyimide modified with PTFE and graphite - TECASINT 6062 black

The preferred fields of applications for direct formed polyimide parts are:

Wear rings Bearing disc Bearing bushes Piston rings Axial sealing rings Hot glass handling parts

Sliding bearings Chain bushings Valve seats Friction rings Insulators