Metal Replacement

MPR has the ability to mold extremely high performance materials that are very well suited in many cases to replace metal in traditional applications

MPR’s processing techniques are able to maintain physical properties in the plastic material by minimizing molecular chain breakage during drying and molding to achieve excellent physical properties.

Advantages of Metal Replacement Parts

• Significant weight savings by reducing specific gravity from 3 to 8 for metals down to the 1.5 range for high performance polymers
• Tensile strength to 46,000 psi
• Continuous use temperature to 500 degrees Fahrenheit
• Excellent chemical resistance
• Significant cost saving vis-a-vis traditional metal fabrication

MPR maintains a proprietary database of over 80,000 materials that it uses in material selection and design assistance with its customers to ensure the optimization of each application. However, material selection alone is not the key to achieving success in most high performance polymer applications. MPR utilizes a custom screw design and unique processing technique to maintain the average molecular weight of the polymer during molding. This approach is absolutely key to getting the maximum physical performance from your part design.

Processing Optimization Requirements

• The polymer molecular chain length of the plastic is one of the key variables that determines its properties
• The molding process, if not done properly, has the potential to break the chains that existed before molding thereby reducing properties
• The length of fiber additives such as glass, carbon or steel will also significantly affect physical properties
• Again, the molding process if not done properly has the potential to break these fibers thereby reducing properties

We find engineers are constantly struggling with the fact that their designs do not meet the performance specifications predicted in their finite element analysis and simulation models. Often engineers look in every direction searching for solutions—the material supplier, the simulation software, the assembly parameters to name a few—without properly focusing on the science of the material and the implications of the drying and molding process.