injection molding of Ultem

[Barry22350]

flame retardant Ultem has been designated as mandatory for plastic components on aircraft seating. My only experience with ultem was 25 years ago and it wasn't a good one. Does anyone have more up to date experience with the material? I'm sure there have been significant improvements made in 25 years. This change could have serious cost, performance, and assembly ramifications.

 

[ESPcomposites]

What was your bad experience? I have some experience, starting about 15 years ago (but nothing recent). It seemed to be a pretty good material, especially when reinforced.

That said, it is still a plastic so don't expect it to behave like a metal. I do remember having some bad experiences with parts, but that was usually a function of the injection molding process (flow, heat, etc.). But I don't think you can blame the material for that. A part that is difficult to injection mold may not work well in the first place.

Brian

http://www.espcomposites.com