Solvay Advanced Polymers, LLC, has launched a pair of new wear-resistant Torlon® polyamide-imide (PAI) grades that deliver significantly better wear performance than other available Torlon wear-resistant materials. Torlon 4630 and 4645 PAI materials are suited for a range of high-performance applications including bushings, bearings, sliding elements, thrust washers, and needle bearing replacements for the automotive, industrial, heavy-duty equipment, and aerospace industries. According to the company, the new wear-resistant grades provide an effective all-plastic alternative to more complex metal-based designs with rolling components for high-temperature friction and wear applications in lubricated and non-lubricated environments. Torlon PAI's other key benefits include outstanding mechanical properties at high operating temperatures up to 275 C, excellent creep resistance, outstanding resistance to strong acids and most organics, exceptional compressive strength, and sealing capability.
Torlon 4630 is a graphite/PTFE-filled grade for non-lubricated environments. It is said to provide outstanding wear resistance for both high-pressure/low-speed applications and low-pressure/high-speed applications, offering a 50% wear factor improvement over previous grades. The limiting PV (contact pressure times velocity) is 150,000 psi x fpm and its coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) is 40% lower than previous materials. Torlon 4645 is a carbon fiber/PTFE grade for high-pressure/low-speed applications in lubricated environments and provides 100% wear factor improvement versus previous grades. The material boasts a limiting PV value of 750,000 psi x fpm, a low coefficient of friction of 0.05 to 0.1, and a low CLTE of 3 ppm per degree Fahrenheit for tight tolerance molding.
23-Jun-09 
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