finally a dawn for truly specialty thermoplastics products?”agnienergysynergy.com/resources/apic...
TRANSCRIPT
“High Performance Thermoplastics
– Finally a dawn for truly specialty thermoplastics products?”
Dr Nurallah (Noor) Jivraj
Director and Principal Consultant, AGNI Energy & Synergy Ltd,
Worcester Park, UK
Presentation Agenda Plastics Pyramid – a select band of “top-notch” niche
market High Performance Thermoplastics (HPTPs)
Attributes of and a Semi-Quantitative Comparative of Selected High Performance Thermoplastics
Performance Requirements for HPTPs in Aerospace, Medical and Dental, Semi-Conductors, and Renewables
PEEK and PPS – Discussion on demand drivers, key players, demand and capacity growth
Outlook for High Performance Thermoplastics
Plastics Pyramid - Qualitative Segmentation The Pyramid Apex has been
to date a small market
Many invented between 1960s and 1980s, some like PTFE much earlier
1990s: High synthesis costs, developmental costs, limited applications kept these a niche zone – generally well less than 10-15 kta – some as low as 2-5 kta
High Time for HPTPs? HPTs have suddenly seen immense demand growth and capacity
investments, and new players emerged
Customers pay $15 - $25/kg for the “low end” materials like PPS, through $40 - $60 for mid-specialties to even $100/kg for top end materials like PEEK in certain medical applications
Some of the HPTPs have seen double digit growth in some years, with 8 – 10 % CAGR over a decade
So what has changed so much in an age where previous performance plastics like PC and PA-6/66 have become commoditized ?
Families & Chemical Structures of Key HPTs …1
PEI – PolyEther Imide
Families & Chemical Structures of Key HPTs …1
PA 6-10
High Temperature Performance of Key HPTPs
Continuous high temperature performance with low creep is just one of a series of very stringent requirements for HPTPs
Qualitative Ranking of Key HPTs PEEK generally has the best
all round performance
PPS’s popularity partly due to simpler synthesis route leading to a lower cost but suffers from relative brittleness
Fluoro-polymers have excellent low temperature properties but tensile strength and processibility is a major challenge, especially with PTFE
Aerospace and Carbon Fibre Composites Cycling Low and High Service Temperatures under load
Low Creep across full service temperature range
Good chemical resistance
Inherent flame-resistance: UL94 Fire behaviour with regard to smoke gas density, smoke gas toxicity, heat release
High specific strength due to fibre-reinforced plastics
Convincing gliding properties
ASTME 595 outgassing requirements - Low outgassing in vacuum
Good radiation resistance
Aerospace and Carbon Fibre Composites Huge strides made in new
aircraft design – lightweighting by use of composites
Kevlar Fibre, Glass Fibre, Carbon Fibre and Nano-Fillers combined with thermoplastics like PEEK and thermosetting ones like Polybenzimidazoles (PBI) and Polyimides like PEI
Carbon Fibre Thermoplastic composites can offer up to 70% weight reduction against steel equivalents
Medical and Dental Medical/Dental Plastics have the most rigorous qualification
processes and standards, and apart from usual properties such impact strength, creep strength, and dimensional stability, other performance requirements can be:
Resistant to cleaning agents and disinfectants, hydrolysis and hot steam Excellent sterilization resistance Excellent chemical resistance Extremely abrasion and wear resistant Excellent dimensional stability Physiological harmlessness (ISO 10993) – GRAS status Biocompatibility (FDA-compliant, meet ISO 10993 for Cytotoxicity, ISO
13485 Certified Plastic Materials) Good radiation resistance
Medical and Dental
Increasingly HPTs such as PPSU and PEEK are replacing metal implants and surgical instruments in dentistry
Automotive – under the hood, lighting, battery power For structural components within the battery
module and the battery pack housing, polyphthalamide (PPA) is material of choice
High voltage rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles need high-temperature stability, chemical resistance to electrolytes, dimensional stability and flame retardancy – PPO is popular as casing material
Aerospace materials filter down to performance cars – novel lighting, confined interiors, displays – higher power demands means batteries with higher voltage and in more confined interiors
PES, PPSU and PSU, being transparent are popular in automotive lighting
Oil and Gas Industry As more and more gas and oil is ultra
deep water (>1500m water depth). There has been a boom in flexible yet robust and high strength materials carrying corrosive liquids (riser systems)
The largest markets for HPTPs in the oil and gas industry are in the cords, wires, cables and flexible and reinforced pipes and liners applications. PA 11 and PA 12 are particularly well suited
Electronics and Semi-Conductors High purity materials are vital during processing of e.g. wafer
production. Almost zero outgassing properties under high vacuum is critical – PEEK, PEI etc have very low outgassing
Examples of HPTs applications include:
Cleaning tanks made of PEEK, PVDF and other fluoropolymers Vacuum grippers from PPS or PEEK: low outgassing in vacuum and
high mechanical strength Wafer containers and Front Opening Unified Pods (FOUP) made of PPS
or PEEK: high mechanical stability Wafer handling systems made of nanoparticle filled PEEK for high
temperature stability, and electrostatic dissipative behaviour
Power Generation – Coal & Renewables
Hot particulate collection filter bags for coal power plants Traditional glass fibre epoxy/vinyl ester wind turbine
blades deemed to heavy and inefficient for next generation – research centres on HPTPs and carbon fibres
Wind power applications demand low creep, excellent abrasion resistance, flame resistance, electrical isolation
Wind turbine applications such as bearing separators, connectors, braking systems, and pitches and yaw drive components
Applications include sliding friction stressed mechanical components (sliding bearings, rollers, pressure discs, piston rings, seals)
PPS (Polyphenylene Sulphide) Commercial process for polymerizing was
successfully developed and manufactured by Phillips Petroleum (USA) in 1973
PPS had always been popular for automotive plastics applications requiring high temperature light weight durable, non-wearing components
PPS demand shot up when LUMENA (formerly Deyang Plastics) acquired PPS technology and commercialised high temperature particulate collection bags for coal fired power plants
PPS, compared to other HPTPs, is a relatively simple molecule - synthesis is much less complex (reflected in its modest pricing) - thus typically the first stop point in high temperature thermoplastics design
PPS Demand/Capacity 1990-2017
PPS demand now approaches 100 kta having been just 11 kta in 1990
PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) PEEK is an injection mouldable material and can be reinforced with
glass, mineral, and graphite fibres.
PEEK has one of the lightest strength to weight ratios and exhibits outstanding resistance to aggressive chemicals, especially hydraulic fluids
PEEK operates at extremely high temperatures, 260° C long term and 315 ° C short term.
PEEK meets ASTME 595 outgassing requirements and UL 94 flammability tests as well as zero halogen requirements.
Why can PEEK command the high price ? Excellent strength, stiffness, long-term
creep and fatigue properties Low Smoke and Toxic Gas Emission Exceptionally low outgassing and
extractables Low moisture absorption, resistant to
steam, water and sea water with low permeability
High abrasion and cut through resistance combined with a low coefficient of friction
Electrical properties maintained over a wide frequency and temperature range
PEEK Demand/Capacity 1990 - 2017
Victrex is a management buy out of ICI’s PEEK technology and business Victrex still dominates the PEEK production and is particularly optimistic
about prospects and may be trying to squeeze other players by increasing capacity substantially
Key players with portfolio of HPTPs
Solvay – PAI, PAEK, PEEK, PPSU, PPA, PPS, PTFE, PVDC, PVA , PA 6-10 etc
DuPont – Kevlar PA LCP, PI, PTFE, ETFE, PFA, FEP, PBT BASF – PPSU, PES, PSU, PBT Arkema – PEKK, PVDF, PA 1-1, PA 1-2 Kureha – PPS, PVDF Toray – PI, PPS, PBT, PA 1-2 SABIC – PEI, PBT
DSM – PA 4-6, PBT
In Summary … Innovation in thermoplastics, thermosets and associated composite
materials has propelled demand growth for HPTPs
Aerospace, power generation, medical and dental, electronics and semiconductor industries driving new generation of applications
Margins for the top end HPTPs remain high despite capacity additions
Application development time and certifications protect the competitive advantage
Processing know-how is critical and a major competitive advantage
A select few companies have a long term strategy to develop a strong portfolio of HPTPs