Germany develops successful glass-plastic composites

Siemens has developed a new glass-plastic composite that overcomes the defects of conventional glass-reinforced thermoplastics. This composite material is prepared by adding a large amount of low-temperature glass to high-temperature thermoplastics such as liquid crystal polymers, polyethersulfone, polyetherimide, and polyphenylene sulfide. The new blends can contain up to 80% by weight of glass but still maintain good processability. Parts produced with new blends have good properties of wear and temperature resistance because the glass components are in a molten state during production, blending and processing, so even when they contain a lot of glass components The flow properties of the material are affected. This material has very little friction with the machine parts with which it is in contact. The new material has wear rates comparable to unfilled thermoplastics.

This new material can be bonded to plastics and metals and is suitable for surface molding equipment. Potential applications include automotive and fuel system components, bearings, electronic components, and scratch-resistant housings. The benefits are good flame retardancy, recyclability, high heat resistance and dimensional stability.