Traditionally, thermoplastics have served as thermal barriers or insulators--until now. LNP Engineering Plastics has introduced what it refers to as the first-ever line of thermally conductive thermoplastic compounds. The name: KonduitTM.
The compounds employ a composite of plastic resins and thermally conductive additives that the company says overcome the base resins' natural insulation properties and conduct heat. When compared to typical unfilled and reinforced thermoplastic materials, the compounds provide 10 to 50 times more thermal conductivity, according to Mark Kaptur, product marketing manager. He adds that the particular ceramic proprietary additives used in the new materials are what makes the difference.
In order to make this claim, Kaptur notes that LNP "did a fair amount of research to pick the ceramic that gave us the best balance of thermal conductivity and decent physical properties. As a result, the development of these new compounds opens up significant windows of opportunity in terms of metal re-placement and part consolidation in IC thermal management, direct encapsulation, heater systems, automotive components, appliances, and fiber-optic communications."
Kaptur adds: "Not only are these compounds thermally conductive, they offer the unique design freedom of injection molding, with its clear-cut advantages for intricate part design."
Prices of the new compounds range from $4-$6 per lb compared to conventional materials that sell in the 0.80 to 2.50 per lb range.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
