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Tailoring the Properties of Thermoplastic Polyester to Meet Special Market Needs

1983; Marcel Dekker; Volume: 20; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/03602558308062809

1525-6111

Carl Gottfried,

Fiber-reinforced polymer composites

Abstract Thermoplastic polyester (PBT) is one of the newest and fastest growing engineering plastics. Introduced in 1969, sales of the resin rose sharply within the first few years as it found utility in various high volume automotive applications such as louvers, body appliques, and high energy ignition components as well as in various electrical and other industry applications. Unlike most new plastics, PBT has enjoyed a phenomenal growth rate which it is expected to sustain in the future. Current domestic sales are running at an annual rate of approximately 60 MM lb and are projected to grow at an average rate of 14% annually over the next 10 years. This is substantially faster than the 8-10% average annual growth rate projected for other engineering resins. While its greatest potential is believed to be in the electrical, electronics, and telecommunications industries, primarily due to its excellent electrical properties, PBT resin continues to find increasing usage in various other industries, such as automotive and industrial, because of its excellent balance of physical, electrical, and chemical resistance properties as well as its excellent moldability. Initially, a limited number of PBT grades were offered to meet the needs of the marketplace and include essentially unfilled and 30% fiberglass filled resins as well as flame retardant grades of each, formulated to meet UL 94 V-0 requirements. However, the increasing demands of industry have necessitated developing special grades of PBT tailored to meet specific requirements. Fortunately, the polymer lends itself exceptionally well to modification with additives while still maintaining the base properties of PBT, and this unique characteristic has been a major factor in the proliferation of special grades. This article reviews the special requirements of various applications and properties of the special grades which were tailored to meet these requirements. At this writing, some of the applications described in this article are developmental, and properties quoted for the various developmental resins are based on preliminary data.