Discover range of PEI resins - ULTEM™ resins – amorphous, transparent, polyetherimide starting with ULTEM™ 1000 unreinforced PEI resins, high-performance base material for blends, reinforced grades, offering: long-term high heat capability, dimensional stability, strength and modulus, inherent low FST, non-halogenated FR solution, hydrolytic and chemical stability, IR transparency, stable dielectric properties, lightweight, colorability.
ULTEM™ HU1004 resin, PEI resin blend, healthcare grade well suited for strong, durable medical devices that withstand multiple sterilization methods, offer enhanced hydrolytic stability in steam autoclave sterilization. ULTEM™ 9085 resin, a PEI resin blend, offers robust OSU/FST properties, meets FAA requirements, and may be used in impact-resistant aerospace interior parts, ground transport applications, pellet-fed additive manufacturing/3D printing.
ULTEM™ 2300, reinforced PEI resin, with CTE close to metal, well suited for fiber optic and electrical connectors, bracketry in aerospace and automotive, enable complex designs and simplification of assembly. ULTEM™ 3473, reinforced PEI resin, 40% lighter than aluminum and may support integrated antenna filter units (AFUs) including radiofrequency (RF) filters thanks to low CTE, Surface Mount Technology (SMT) process compatibility, excellent surface metallization performance.
Identification
Features & Benefits
Applications & Uses
Patient and practitioner comfort has been at the forefront of thriving dental practices. Improving designs and ergonomics, reducing weight and balancing cost effectiveness are important to dental device manufacturers. ULTEM™ resin is an ideal candidate material for metal replacement and part consolidation that can help design engineers create dental devices that are simple, strong, esthetic and easy to use.
The image below is a conceptual artist's rendering of a dental hand tool, where eight internal and external parts can be consolidated to three parts, creating processing cost savings. of added benefit is the lightweight feature of ULTEM™ resin, providing dental hygienists better ergonomics with less physical strain.
ULTEM™ resins to address material requirements for the optoelectronics industry, including the ability to withstand the high heat of typical opto-electronic solder processes. These resins have near IR light transmission with stable signal quality and are tested according to industry aging standards like telcordia.
ULTEM™ resin, from SABIC’s Specialties business, is a lighter weight alternative to metal that offers robust mechanical strength, thermal resistance, and excellent dimensional stability. ULTEM resin also has demonstrated micron level tolerancing (>700 million cycles) in harsh applications such as cylinder deactivation valves. Additionally, when ULTEM resin is used in combination with LNP™ LUBRICOMP™ compounds, SABIC’s unique wearresistant lubrication technology, further value can be realized through higher production rates, reduction of friction, and up to a 20% decrease in Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH).
Potential Savings With an Ultem™ Resin Solution
Drug pens and autoinjectors are used for the subcutaneous delivery of biopharmaceuticals and offer patients the ability to self-administer medication. In recent years, significant developments in device design have helped to improve patient experience, compliance and sustainability. Following the trend of convergence with consumer electronics, medical device advancements include enabling enhanced usability and wireless connectivity. Additionally, streamlining design & manufacturing can help control costs and increase productivity.
SABIC’s Specialties offers a wide range of potential solutions for healthcare including structural and functional biocompatible materials, FDA food compliant color packages and sustainable options with renewable content. SABIC’s resins have value-added services, including design support, mold-flow analysis, testing and predictive engineering capabilities, which are available for each step of your application development process.
Internal LCA Analysis: IPCC 2013 GWP 100A V1.03 calculated following the general principles of life cycle assessment (LCA) according to the ISO 14040 guideline, The carbon footprint estimate is for the grade when manufactured in Benoi, Singapore.
A great advantage of MPO is the bundling of 8-32 connections in one plug. This improves handling, space and costs versus the use of individual fiber connections. However, the alignment of the rows of fibers is a key challenge, introducing potential insertion loss and reflection issues.
SABIC’s ULTEM™ resins are often used for multi-fiber push on (MPO) connectors in highspeed data centers and optical fiber networks. The high-performance material can address the fiber alignment issue thanks to its excellent dimensional stability under a wide range of temperatures and moisture levels. In addition, the high strength, high modulus and practical ductility of ULTEM™ resins can help enable advanced design features like thin-wall components with precise connections.
Our customer observed improvements in the following areas:
Mechanical Performance
UV Resistance (ASTM G26)
ULTEM™ Resin VS. Sulfone Polymers
Chemical Resistance
| ULTEM™ resin | PES | PSU | PPSU | |
| Aromatic Hydrocarbons | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Aliphatic Hydrocarbons | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Chlorinated Hydrocarbons | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Alcohols | 10 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Inorganic Base | 1 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Acetates / Ketones | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Acids | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
(1=poor; 10=excellent)
The Key Five Things to Consider
Injection Molding
Injection molding machine must have.
138 MPa Minimum (207 MPa preferred)
Target 30-80% (Residence time between 2 and 5 minutes ideally)
High watt density bands preferred
3-5 tons/in2 projected area
2.0 to 2.3:1 Compression Ratio (GP design works with 2.5:1)
Temperature Control
Drying, resin dryer must have
175°C (350°F) capability for EXTEM with after cooler on return air
High temperature & free of contaminants
Ideally short in length.
Mold Considerations
Discoloration
Black Specks
Small black areas (spots) inside the material, mostly present in transparent ULTEM™ / EXTEM™ grades.
Burn Marks
They are usually caused by overheating of the material due to entrapped air (diesel effect): this causes the darkening in color
Brittleness / Cracking
The molded product is failing prematurely either after molding, during testing, or during normal usage.
Gloss
Weld Lines / Knit Lines
These lines occur where two melt flow fronts in the mold meet. The streams of plastic should be hot enough to fuse adequately. Weld lines are not just surface marks, but can be points of weakness: notches, stress raisers.
Jetting / Worming
A serpentine line on the part surface emanating from the gate
Voids
Vacuole hollows in the molding, due to thermal shrinkage that draws material away from the fluid core of a part.
Molded in Stress
These molded in stresses can result in part brittleness. Usually caused by highly oriented polymer flow.
Sink Marks
Visible defects resulting from insufficient cooling before removal from the mold. A heavy rib intersecting a thin wall may show up as sink marks: these are very difficult to eliminate by varying processing conditions.
Sticking In Sprue Bushing
At end of cycle, the sprue does not release from the mold but sticks in the sprue bushing.
Sticking In Cavity / Core
At the end of cycle, the part does not release from the mold but sticks on the core or cavity.
Streaks
Warpage, Part Distortion
Splay Marks, Silver Streaks
The result of:
The importance of passenger, occupant and pedestrian safety is driving automakers and their suppliers to upgrade their ADAS offerings to further advance the performance and reliability of assisted driving. As adoption rates rise, the number of safety features and onboard electronic systems per vehicle increases each year, requiring engineers to seek out material solutions for light weighting and increased design flexibility.
Radar systems are an integral part of the ADAS system supporting features such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and Forward Collison Warning (FCW). Radar sensors constantly sense the distance between
vehicles in real-time to improve driving efficiency and safety. Therefore, these units require material solutions offering effective Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding and radar absorption properties to ensure that cross-interference does not disrupt the various system components that protect drivers, passengers an,d pedestrians.
SABIC’s highly specialized thermoplastics can help engineers improve radar sensor technologies using materials that aid in light weighting, metal replacement and improved design flexibility. Providing automakers and their suppliers with high performance solutions to help them address the ever-changing ADAS landscape, as well as to identify potential system cost reductions.
Our portfolio offers:
SABIC Solutions for Radar Sensor System Applications
Lightweight Battery Pack Peripherals
Depending on material and design requirements, SABIC’s Specialties business can provide a number of materials for electric vehicle battery packs, including bus bar holders, covers, brackets, end plate assemblies and enclosures for battery management systems, control units, fuses and relays, etc.
A new portfolio of bio-based ULTEM™ resins that deliver a lower carbon footprint while offering exactly the same high performance and processability as incumbent ULTEM materials.
These breakthrough polyetherimide (PEI) materials are the first certified renewable high temperature, amorphous resins available in the industry for potential use in challenging applications in consumer electronics, aerospace, automotive and other industries.
SABIC Sustainability
CIRCULAR ECONOMY inspires SABIC to adapt our processes to the use of renewable and recycled feedstock, and to create durable, recyclable product design solutions for our customers.
Bio-Based Feedstock
SABIC ISCC+ Certified Renewable ULTEM™ Resin Solutions
For every 100 kg of this ULTEM™ resin, 25.5 kg of oil-oased materials have been replaced by bio-based materials, based on mass balance approach.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Potential Market and Applications
Consumer Electronics
Automotive
Healthcare
Aerospace Interiors
Electrical/Electronics
EziSurg Medical Relies on SABIC’s ULTEM™ Resin for High-performance Premium Ultrasonic Scalpel Shears
EziSurg Medical Co., Ltd. (ESM) specializes in the development and commercialization of high-end, minimally invasive surgical instruments. The Shanghai-based company, a China market leader in medical scalpel systems, was looking for a material solution to help maintain and build on their competitive strength in these demanding medical devices, both locally and abroad. Their goal was to find a polymer capable of outperforming incumbent materials, including polysulfones, in the next generation of their fast-cutting easyUS® premium ultrasonic scalpel shears.
