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Bayblend is a brand name of Bayer for a polymer blend based on PC and ABS. This material combines the advantages of both PC and ABS. Particularly noteworthy are its high heat distortion resistance (between that of ABS and PC), excellent impact and notch impact strength, stiffness, and dimensional stability. It is commonly used for automotive components and housings. For applications with higher mechanical stress, Bayblend is reinforced with 20% short glass fibers. These embedded glass fibers provide an excellent combination of stiffness and impact strength.

Delrin is a brand name of DuPont for the material group polyacetal (POM). It is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic characterized by high strength, hardness, stiffness, and low friction coefficients. It is commonly used in mechanical and electrical engineering applications.

Durethan is a brand name of Lanxess for the polyamide (PA) material group. It is a semi-crystalline plastic characterized by a combination of properties ideally suited for technical applications. High mechanical strength and stiffness are combined with good electrical insulation properties, high heat distortion and chemical resistance, excellent sliding and emergency running properties, wear resistance, and effective damping of noise and vibrations. In addition, it offers excellent processability.

Elastomers are dimensionally stable yet elastically deformable plastics. After being subjected to stress, they return to their original shape. We use thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). Unlike conventional elastomers, TPEs are not covalently cross-linked but have intermolecular bonding points in certain regions. This makes them melt-processable and easier to handle than traditional elastomers. Production waste can be remelted and reused. TPEs also share many properties with thermoplastics.

Hostaform is a brand name of Ticona for the polyacetal (POM) material group. It offers an excellent combination of wear resistance, fatigue strength, impact strength, and creep resistance, along with outstanding resistance to moisture, solvents, and strong alkalis. It is commonly used in mechanical engineering, household applications, and electrical engineering.

Lexan is a brand name of GE Plastics for the polycarbonate (PC) material group. It is naturally crystal-clear and offers high impact resistance, excellent heat resistance, inherent flame retardancy, and UV stability. It is commonly used for optical lenses, light guides, and housings.

For thin-walled precision parts that must withstand high thermal loads, many designers and processors rely on liquid crystal polymers (LCP).
Liquid crystal polymers are highly crystalline, inherently flame-retardant, thermotropic (melt-oriented) thermoplastics. They are processed in a similar way to conventional semi-crystalline thermoplastics. However, unlike semi-crystalline plastics, liquid crystal polymers retain their high degree of molecular order even in the molten state, distinguishing them from semi-crystalline thermoplastics. The melt therefore behaves like a crystalline liquid. (Source: Ticona)

Makrolon is a brand name of Bayer for the polycarbonate (PC) material. It is naturally crystal-clear and offers high impact resistance, excellent heat resistance, inherent flame retardancy, and UV stability. It is commonly used for optical lenses, light guides, and housings.

Alongside ABS and PP compounds, polyamides are among the top-performing engineering plastics. In mechanical engineering and precision engineering, polyamide is one of the most widely used polymers.
PA is characterized by high mechanical strength, stiffness, and thermal resistance. In addition, polyamides offer good toughness at low temperatures, favorable sliding and friction properties, and ease of processing. Thanks to these outstanding properties, they have become indispensable across almost all areas of engineering – whether for components and machine elements, as high-quality electrical insulating materials, or for a wide range of specialized applications.

Polybutylene terephthalate is a thermoplastic material. PBT is characterized by high stiffness and strength, excellent dimensional stability under heat, low moisture absorption, and good resistance to many chemicals. In addition, it offers outstanding weather resistance and excellent thermal aging properties. Its characteristics include high dimensional stability, good sliding properties, wear resistance, and high strength. PBT is commonly used for connectors and housings.

VICTREX PEEK polymer is an aromatic, semi-crystalline thermoplastic belonging to the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family. It offers excellent electrical and mechanical properties, high strength and stiffness, outstanding chemical resistance, high radiation resistance, inherent flame retardancy, and favorable sliding and wear characteristics. One drawback is its relatively high cost. PEEK is widely used in the automotive, electronics, and medical industries. It is available under the trade name Victrex.

PPS is a high-temperature thermoplastic with a melting point of 285 °C, offering an excellent combination of thermal, mechanical, and chemical resistance.

• High strength, even at elevated temperatures
• High dimensional stability
• Excellent heat resistance
• Good electrical properties
• High chemical resistance
• Low interfacial diffusion
• Inherently flame retardant
• Tendency toward brittle fracture behavior

PPS is commonly used in automotive engineering, electronic components, and household appliances.

Polypropylene (abbreviated PP, sometimes also referred to as polypropene) is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic and belongs to the group of polyolefins. Polypropylenes are predominantly isotactic and very similar to polyethylenes, but compensate for many of their disadvantages. They are stiffer and harder, making them the hardest polyolefin polymers, and they retain these properties even at elevated temperatures.

PP exhibits the following properties:

• Moderate strength, stiffness, and impact resistance
• Low density
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Outstanding fatigue resistance (up to 10 million flex cycles)
• Good resistance to stress cracking (better than PE)
• However, poor performance at low temperatures

It is widely used in mechanical engineering, automotive, construction, and electrical industries.

Ryton is a brand name of Chevron Phillips for the high-performance plastic polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). See also the entry for PPS.

Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) is a transparent and rigid plastic. It offers high clarity with a light transmission of over 90% at a thickness of 1 mm. When colored, the material becomes opaque. SAN is similar to polystyrene (PS) in structure and properties, but provides higher strength, improved temperature resistance, better scratch resistance, and enhanced chemical resistance. In assembly, SAN components are typically fastened using screws, as the material is not suitable for snap-fit designs. SAN is commonly used for light guides, optical components, and reflectors.

Ultradur is a brand name of Bayer for the material polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, PBTP). It is used as a material for high-quality and highly durable engineering components across a wide range of industrial applications. See also the entry for polybutylene terephthalate.

Ultramid is a brand name of Bayer for the polyamide (PA) material group. PA is primarily used in the automotive and electrical industries. See also the entry for polyamide.

Victrex is a brand name for the high-performance thermoplastic PEEK. See the entry for PEEK for further information.