What is the hardest plastic in injection molding?

1, The hardest plastic in injection molding - Polyimide (PAI)
Among numerous injection molding materials, polyimide (PAI) is known as one of the hardest plastics in injection molding due to its excellent hardness, high temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, and wear resistance. Polyimide is a high-performance thermoplastic with a hardness value of up to 2800HV, even exceeding the hardness of aluminum materials. This makes polyimide have broad application prospects in high-tech fields such as aerospace, automotive, and electronics.
1. Material characteristics
Polyimide has excellent mechanical properties, high strength, high rigidity, and high toughness that enable it to withstand extreme mechanical environments. Meanwhile, polyimide also has good thermal stability and can maintain its properties unchanged at high temperatures. In addition, polyimide also exhibits excellent chemical corrosion resistance and can resist corrosion from various acids, bases, and organic solvents. These characteristics make polyimide one of the hardest plastics in injection molding.
2. Application Fields
Due to its excellent hardness and high temperature resistance, polyimide is widely used in high-tech fields. In the aerospace field, polyimide is used as a manufacturing material for key components such as aircraft engine parts and rocket boosters. In the automotive field, polyimide is used to manufacture high-strength and wear-resistant components such as engine parts and transmission system parts. In the field of electronics, polyimide is used as a manufacturing material for high-performance electronic components such as integrated circuit packaging materials and capacitor films.
2, Other injection molding materials with higher hardness
In addition to polyimide, there are other injection molding materials that also have high hardness. These materials include polyetherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and zirconia (ZrO2), among others.
1. Polyether ketone (PEEK)
Polyether ketone is a high-performance thermoplastic with excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, and chemical corrosion resistance. It has high hardness and can maintain stable performance in high temperature and high pressure environments. Polyether ketone is widely used in medical equipment, automotive components, aerospace and other fields.
2. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
Polytetrafluoroethylene is a plastic material with extremely low friction coefficient, as well as good corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and electrical insulation. Its hardness is relatively high and it is widely used in sealing materials, pipeline materials, wires and cables, and other fields.
3. Zirconia (ZrO2)
Zirconia is an inorganic non-metallic material with extremely high hardness and wear resistance. In injection molding, zirconia is commonly used as a filling material to improve the hardness and wear resistance of the product. However, due to the high price of zirconia, its application range is relatively narrow.
3, Methods for improving plastic hardness in injection molding
Improving the hardness of plastic during injection molding is one of the important means to enhance product performance. Here are some commonly used methods to increase the hardness of plastics:
Adding fillers: By adding inorganic fillers (such as calcium carbonate, talcum powder, etc.) to plastics, the hardness of the product can be improved. The addition of fillers can also improve the heat resistance, dimensional stability, and reduce costs of plastics.
Adding reinforcement materials: The addition of reinforcement materials (such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, etc.) can significantly improve the strength and hardness of plastics. Meanwhile, reinforcing materials can also improve the heat resistance and wear resistance of plastics.
Changing the plastic formula: By adjusting the formula of the plastic, such as increasing the resin content, changing the type of resin, etc., the hardness of the product can also be improved. However, it should be noted that changing the formula may affect other properties of the plastic, so comprehensive performance testing and evaluation are needed.