The TiC-FineParticle™ Alloying Concept:

Titanium carbide [TiC] is a prolific particulate super-alloy. It works as extensively as any fine-particle filler material to broaden the performance envelope of tailored friction-reducing polymeric bearing and wear materials for non-metallic component-parts.

Titanium carbide in alloy form has had a successful 40-year history. It all begins as a titanium and carbon compound that is reacted together. As a super-hard alloy, it is best known for its ability to enhance the desirable properties in finished products made from metal-matrix composites (MMC) and sintered tool steels.

Titanium carbide can be as effective and display the same exceptional characteristics for finished products made from polymer-matrix composites. A reactive organic chemistry is added to the TiC-FineParticle™ so that there is strong bonding between the matrix and the hard particles when finished products such as engineered plastic components are molded together. Strong bonding is accomplished by either a thin sintered coupling agent monolayer; a polyisocyanate encapsulation of the particles; or, by reacting other chemical elements within the alloying compound.

Truly, titanium carbide is the working giant among fine-particle functional filler alloying systems.

Principal Benefits Projected:

As a Performance Kicker:

• High particle hardness and slick surfaces make TiC-FineParticle™ alloys an ideal filler material tailored to enhance wear-resistant, tribological, and mechanical bearing characteristics
• Resistant to mechanical strain and abrasion wear
• Can lower coefficient of friction to .015 - .030

As a Processing Aid:

• Speeds up throughput: rounded fine-particle microstructure helps to make it mix and slip
• Disperses uniformly within most any material
• Enhances the dispersion of all additives

For Profitability and Economic Gain:

• Increases production throughput rates which reduces manufacturing costs
• Lowers part weights - lower power requirements
• With TiC-FineParticle™ alloys in the composite mix, component-parts will not wear out as fast.

Still another profit-enhancing concept suggests by-passing the secondary pelletizing step and bring the matrix resin and slippery TiC-FineParticle™ alloying system together for the first time as they are feeding into the injection molding machine. This saves the cost of pelletizing and an extra heat history.

Enhanced Performance Capabilities:
There has been a long-standing need for polymeric composites having enhanced friction-reducing and wear-resistant capabilities. Desirable goals include improved durability and service-life of component-parts when operating under extreme conditions in harsh environments.

Most alloying additives are either too soft for harsh environments, have sharp irregular shapes or are an-isotropic. They are useful as functional fillers that change the cost, color, strength or density of a resin. The TiC-FineParticle™ particulate alloys on the other hand appear as smooth quasi/spheroidal-shaped micro-grains that present slippery, non-galling mold-ed surfaces that suggest optimum abrasion-resistant characteristics unattainable with the other materials.

Aggressive testing of TiC-FineParticle™ alloyed polymeric materials has revealed that optimized wear resistance can be achieved with loadings of between 12% and 22%. Description of this work was presented in a paper titled "Creating Distinctive Grades of Abrasion-Resistant Plastics" at the Functional Fillers Conference in Houston, Texas.

PPM is a privately-held advanced materials company that produces particulate metal and carbide blends tailored to specific industries. PPM collaborates with materials designers to develop tailored alloys for a wide variety of finished product requirements.

©2001 Pacific Particulate Materials, Ltd.

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Phone Number: 1-604-937-5530