Insulation materials, thermal molded products

As an unreinforced material, FBI is relatively clean in terms of ionic impurity, and it does not outgas except water. These properties make FBI highly attractive to semiconductor manufacturers for vacuum chamber applications. FBI has excellent ultrasonic transparency, making it an ideal choice for parts such as probe-tip lenses in ultrasonic measuring equipment. FBI also is an excellent thermal insulator. These characteristics make FBI ideal for contact seals and insulator bushings in plastic production and molding equipment. 

Today, polyolefins and polyolefin-based materials are used in many applications. These applications include transportation (automotive, aerospace), packaging, medical, consumer products (toys, appliances, etc.), electronics, cable and wire coating, thermal and acoustic insulation, and building and constmction. Polyolefins can be extruded as filaments (fibers), films (cast and blown), and pipes/profiles. They can be molded into parts of various shapes. They can be foamed with physical and chemical foaming/blowing or/and can be coated onto other materials. 

The molded, sintered products are useful as ceramic materials, particularly wherever materials having chemical inertness and a low coefficient of thermal expansion and resistance to thermal shock are needed. Typical of these uses are in nose cones for missiles and in electrical insulators, kiln furniture, cooking ware and covers for electric stove heating elements. The pores may be sealed later if desired by surface fusion or impregnation with colloidal silica or sodium silicate solution and refiring at about 1000°C. 

Polystyrene (PS) (Table 5.3.12) is produced almost exclusively in-substance, for example, by using a production tower (see Topic 5.3.7 for details). The polymer is transparent and readily processable in molding techniques. However, pure PS is somewhat brittle and not very resistant to organic solvents. Therefore, copolymers with substantial shares of PS are of great industrial relevance. Examples are PS-acrylonitrile (SAN), PS-butadiene rubber (SBR), and PS-butadiene-acrylonitrile (ABS) copolymers. Another important apphcation form of PS is PS foams (Styropor ). The latter are used for the thermal insulation of buildings as the air enclosed in the foam reduces the heat conductivity of the material to very small values. 

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