Thermocomp(R)

The Thermocomp® product family represents LNP's core products and business. Thermocomp® is comprised of reinforced or filled compounds utilizing over 30 different base resins. The polymers range from ABS and styrenics to exotic high temperature PEEK and melt processible fluoropolymers, and everything in between including all nylons, polyesters, polycarbonate, acetal, PPS, PEI, PES, and several new additions which are discussed later.

Glass Fiber
Glass fiber reinforcement is the most widely used reinforcing fiber. LNP has all glass contents ranging from 5% by weight loading level to 50% by weight on most base resins. Glass fiber reinforcement offers high strength and stiffness, high heat deflection temperatures, and greater creep and fatigue resistance than unreinforced base polymers.

Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber reinforcement provides greater increase in mechanical properties than the equivalent weight percentage of glass fibers. In addition, carbon fibers significantly increase thermal and electrical conductivity, and improves creep resistance as compared to glass fiber reinforcement. Carbon fiber reinforcement improves the wear resistance of a base resin to a greater degree than an equivalent loading of glass fiber reinforcement. LNP compounds can contain loading levels of 5% by weight to 40% by weight in all resin systems.

Fillers
Fillers are the other modifiers in composite thermoplastics. These are particulate materials that generally do not contribute to strength but can increase stiffness or flexural modulus and provide other properties such as flame retardancy, lubricity, or dimensional stability and tolerance. Commonly used fillers include calcium carbonate, milled glass fibers, and beaded glass. LNP offers a variety of mixed glass systems (MG) for applications requiring both strength and stiffness as well as dimensional control and stability.

Thermocomp® HSG
Thermocomp® HSG (high specific gravity) compounds were designed for application requiring greater specific gravities and weight than normally associated with injection molded plastic compounds. Thermocomp® HSG are filled with a variety of proprietary metals and non-metallic powders to achieve specific gravity ranges of 2.4 - 10.0. These materials are environmentally safe and available in nylon 6, PBT, ABS, and some specialty nylons and elastomers. Many formulations are plateable, so the designer now has plastic injection moldable compounds which have metal-like weight and mass and can be plated.

Application areas are endless ranging from sporting goods to consumer items like bathroom fixtures, shower accessories, children's toys, cigar cutters, and casino coins and chips.

Because of their versatility, Thermocomp® composites are utilized across all markets: automotive functional components, business machines, electrical/electronics, consumer goods, industrial, and appliances. Also part of the Thermocomp® product line are melt processible fluoropolymers for injection molding, offering superior chemical and wear resistance for valves and pump housings, and unequaled dielectric properties for electronic parts.

LNP Engineering Plastics, Inc., 475 Creamery Way. Tel: 610-363-4500; Fax: 610-363-4749.