The demands for a strong, tough, durable and lightweight material for agricultural and construction equipment are growing increasingly fast. Engineered plastics provide improved options for optimizing weight in places like windshields from Frit polycarbonate. Engineering plastic shapes and casting urethanes are also key material for working prototypes and models in the design process.
High-performance engineering plastics including PEEK, DuPont™ Vespel® and other engineering plastics from the top of the plastics pyramid are a natural fit for the aerospace industry due to their light weight nature and ability to withstand extreme environmental conditions. A typical engineering plastic shape has half the density of aluminum or glass and 1/6th the density of steel. In addition to engineered plastics solutions for engine parts, tkEP carries specialized acrylic and polycarbonate mirrored materials (tkAC and ALPOLIC). These mirror materials are FAR rated. They are commonly used in aircraft lavatories and other areas.
Before production begins engineering plastic shapes are used for prototypes where the physical properties must closely match those of the final product. Engineering plastics for appliance prototypes can be an ideal choice for one-off parts or short runs. Casting urethanes are also an excellent choice.
Plastics are quickly becoming one of the most ubiquitous materials in construction with the potential to reshape the roles of architects and engineers, as well as the construction industry at large. Thermoplastics such as Makrolon® polycarbonate allow for easily molded and formed shapes, leading to increasingly malleable design processes and creative architectural expression. Engineering plastics such as Hurriguard® triple wall polycarbonate have become a material of choice for protecting existing windows and glass doors from the damaging effects of hurricanes.
Engineered plastics long been an important part of creating automotive prototypes. The wide range of materials provides engineers and designers with cost effective solutions for fully testing new concepts and parts.
Engineered plastics solutions are used in the heavy equipment required by the military to make high wear parts. Many of the high-performance materials we stock are made in the USA. Engineering plastics can aid in light weighting equipment and many high-performance plastic stock shapes outperform metals in harsh environmental conditions.
Electronics and electrical components have a unique set of demands that only engineered plastics can properly address. Plastics provide solutions for a wide variety of electrical and electronic applications.
Engineered plastics within the food processing industry are extremely versatile. They provide increased work productivity while maintaining appropriate workplace safety standards. Parts machined from engineering plastics are replacing traditional metal parts in conveyor applications. Plastic parts in food processing applications often outperform metal parts by being more resistant to chemicals, moisture, and wear. In addition, plastics in food processing facilities are used to aid in noise reduction, and in conveyor lines plastics can allow lines to increase in speed. The lightweight of plastics also provides cost savings because of the reduction in energy needed to run equipment. FDA compliant versions of many plastics are available for use in places where parts will come into direct contact with food. As food recalls become more prevalent and cost food manufacturers tremendous amounts of money or worse, high-performance plastics like TECAPEEK UD Blue allow for 3-way detection of potentially damaging contaminants to be found before they enter the food supply chain.
Engineered plastics have improved the design and manufacturing capabilities of heavy equipment. Engineered plastics allow for increased performance, reduced time to market, cost reduction and weight reduction.
Engineered plastics are regularly used in the design of custom lighting projects. The different types of available polycarbonate materials make designing a custom lighting project a lot easier. Polycarbonates are UV stable and come in varieties that can diffuse LED lights. In addition, polycarbonate can be cut and thermoformed into a wide variety of shapes to create a unique style and look that fits into any architectural setting. Special coatings add improved resistance to scratching and other potential damage.
Large industrial equipment from conveyors to manufacturing machines often use high performance engineered plastics either up front in new construction or after to create parts that replace metal parts. Engineered plastics are about half the weight of metals and their toughness provides long-wearing parts that can reduce maintenance downtime, improve wear, even in high wear situations or extreme environments where chemicals, moisture, and wide temperature ranges can be problematic for metals. Engineered plastic parts can also reduce noise in manufacturing environments to improve working conditions.
Along with traditional metals and other materials, machine shops are now often required to work with a variety of engineered plastic for their various projects. Like their metal counterparts, engineering plastic stock shapes can be shaped through milling, drilling, lathe and other operations. In addition, thermoplastics can be heat molded, and many plastics can be finished into smooth or even polished surfaces.
Engineered plastics are often used within the marine industry due to the strong, corrosion resistant, nature of the material.
Engineered plastic is used for components and profiles which are designed to comply with the stringent demands of medical technology. This can include elevated hygiene standards, temperature demands and harsh chemicals and hot steam. Medical grade engineering plastics including PEEK, ULTEM, polycarbonate and more are available in FDA compliant versions designed and tested specifically to meet stringent medical compliance standards. tkEP carries a wide variety of colors and grades for use in medical trials for knee and hip replacement as well as a variety of other applications.
Engineered plastics, especially acrylic and polycarbonate play a vital role in the objects on display at a museum. Exhibits on display often need to be hung or shown in unique ways. Specialized acrylics can be designed to cater to any exclusive piece of art. Thermoplastics can be shaped into an endless variety of unique shapes for the ultimate in displays.
Engineered plastics play a vital role in the oil and gas industries. The versatile nature of the product provides weight reductions, corrosion resistance, thermal decoupling and minimized noise emissions. High-performance plastics from the upper part of the plastics pyramid are designed to withstand extreme environments including chemicals, salts, extreme heat and cold, pressure, high-velocity applications and more. These high-performance materials including DuPont Vespel, PEEK and others will outperform metals in the harsh environment of deep downhole applications.
Engineered plastics are widely used throughout the power distribution industries. These include switchgear, panel boar, transformer and induction heating. We stock GPO-3 in standard as well as a special Transit Grade developed for use in the New York Transit Industry.
Patient comfort is key in orthotics and prosthetics and engineering plastics are an important part of achieving that. Thermoplastic sheets can easily be heat formed over plaster molds to create a one of a kind socket. These engineering plastics come in a wide variety of thicknesses, sizes, and characteristics from soft and flexible to extremely rigid and impact resistant. tkEP also carries a wide range of co-poly colors so providers add a personalized touch to an individuals prosthetic or orthotic device. In addition to plastics tkEP provides a basket that includes plaster, adhesives, foams and more.
Pattern makers and tooling companies are constantly using engineered plastics for their custom design projects and prototyping needs.
Engineered plastics are used for processing equipment parts due to their ability to withstand an increased amount of frictional heat, wear and an overall more aggressive and demanding work environment.
When it comes to prototyping and product development, engineered plastics are the most widely used resource due to the materials versatility and the ability to create working prototypes that closely match the characteristics of the final product. Many plastic shapes or casting urethanes can be a cost-effective solution for creating short runs of parts. Cast urethanes can be customer colored to match virtually any tint needed.
tkEP maintains a stock of highly specialized acrylic and polycarbonate mirror (tkAC and ALPOLIC) materials that are FAR rated for use in aircraft and aerospace. In addition, polycarbonate is proving to be an excellent lightweight replacement for windshields and thermoplastics are useful for heat formed parts while engineering plastic stock shapes provide an excellent alternative to metals for machined parts.
Plastics Brochures & Stock Guides
thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics is stocking distributor and fabricator of industrial plastic shapes. Our primary focus is engineered plastics for fabricators, machine shops and OEM communities. Stock includes plastic sheet, rod, tube and shape. We service many industries and it can be said that the plastics we carry are in everything from knee replacements to the Mars Rover and everything in between.
thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics operates 12 stocking warehouse locations and 9 sales offices throughout the United States. The company is structured around local distribution service centers that can provide fast, efficient delivery. Our processing system is customer–based, with a focus on top notch customer service as well as value added capabilities including custom cutting, inventory solutions, and full lot traceability of materials. We also provide machining and fabrication services as an added value to our customers. As part of the thyssenKrupp Materials NA nationwide logistics system, we are able to provide next–day delivery to the majority of customers in North America.
thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics has teams of experts in different focus areas to help meet your needs. Whether that’s through our internal logistics teams, our product managers, industry experts, or other customer service minded staff, we are focused on working for you to improve service, lower your inventories, reduce work in process and free up your working capital. At thyssenkrupp Engineered Plastics, we want to be your first choice for both materials and your supply chain needs.
