According to reporting at Modern Plastics Worldwide, SABIC Innovative Plastics has developed new grades of its Ultem polyetherimide (PEI) resin, as well as Ultem-based compounds, to suit medical and electrical/electronic components applications.
SABIC has developed specialized grades of Ultem to enable development of one-piece molded connector designs. The company says these grades can be finely geared to specific wavelengths, offering attenuation control, very high heat resistance, and dimensional stability for accurate fiber alignment. The new materials are intended to reduce connector costs by up to 20%, while speeding up fiber installation and providing long service life, according to the company.
SABIC expects the materials will play a role in expanding the availability and use of fiber optic technology, helping to meet growing demand for faster data access. SABIC says its proprietary technology allows it to adjust the new Ultem's to transmit light over specific wavelengths required by customers or by industry standards. The transparent resin has is custom colored to minimize attenuation.
In addition, SABIC says excellent dimensional stability helps ensure fibers remain aligned within the connector, negating the need for maintenance or replacement. The material's high flow rates also mean connectors can be injection molded with high throughput. Because one-piece designs require no additional assembly, system costs may be further reduced; the simpler connector also streamlines installation.
SOURCE: http://plasticstoday.com
