Plastic makes metal-to-plastic housing conversions possible

The principal advantage for customers is that metal-to-plastic conversions not only eliminate 35% of housing weight in comparison with conventional aluminium, but also provide cost reductions of up to 65% through the elimination of secondary operations such as assembly and machining.

Called PREMIER PBT-225, it was developed by Chomerics to provide a more reliable solution to traditional cube (salt and pepper) blend conductive resin systems and deliver a more efficient alternative to metal and non-conductive plastic housings. The polymer matrix is durable against a wide range of application fluids, and offers high operating temperature limits and long-term environmental stability.

Among the applications set to benefit are housings for automotive electronics, motors and sensors, along with connector bodies, infotainment enclosures and handheld devices for military and industrial metering tasks. Life science enclosures, telecoms equipment and IT rack/server components are further target applications.

Importantly, the advanced processing of PBT-225 into a single pellet composition permits even material dispersion and a tightly controlled conductive material ratio across complex geometries, delivering a matrix of polymer and conductive filler. The inconsistent mix ratio issues associated with multi-pellet blends are therefore eliminated, along with the time required for weighing and mixing. Moreover, improved pellet integrity with no harmful agglomerations helps optimise material conveyance.

With regard to material composition, long stainless steel fibres increase shielding effectiveness, which ranges from 44 to 71 dB depending on the frequency. In addition, glass fibre reinforcement helps to enhance mechanical strength. Its tensile strength at break, for example, is 89 MPa.