Gehr Plastics has been a major global manufacturer in the plastic sheet and rod industry since 1932. During this period, Gehr has become a leader in a variety of product lines, and also become known for very large sizes in both sheet and rod. Currently Gehr can produce Acetal rod up to 20″ in diameter and sheets up to 8″ thick. Some of the many plastic materials the Gehr produces:
Radel Rod is produced in many medical grade colors
Being innovative also means looking forward. Gehr was selected as the Bioplastics manufacturer of the year in 2008, partly for the new line of plastic materials which have a bio base. These materials have a variety of bio based forms, including: a PLA base, Cellulose based, Polyamide and Wood – Plastic Composite (WPC). One such material is ECOGEHR PLA-L which is a blend of polylactic (polylactic acid), some lignine, fatty acid and wax. This biopolymer is new to our industry and can be used in temperatures ranging from -22 °F to +140 °F.This complete line of materials is one of the only available in the plastic industry to be comprised of many renewable raw materials. Gehr leads the way in this exceptional and innovative product line.
ClearGehr Polyamide Rod
This brand new product is a Clear Polyamide rod. The outside surface is as extruded, and can be polished. This enables the production of a relatively clear sight glass quality material with most of the high end properties of Polyamide – Nylon material. We have supplied this material for small machined parts where neither Polycarbonate nor Acrylic would work well. Because of the natural inherit chemical resistance of Polyamide, this high end ClearGehr rod can out perform all normal transparent plastics. Give us a call to see if this new innovative product will work in your difficult application.
FDA Approved Wear Grade Acetal
Have you been looking for an extended wear Acetal material (like the PTFE filled Acetals – Delrin AF), but need it to be FDA approved? Then perhaps you should consider WearGehr. This proprietary filled Acetal material has excellent wear resistance, and retains the FDA approval of the base Acetal, unlike the PTFE filled Acetal materials which are not FDA approved. It is made in a blue color for easy identification, also it remains very machinable. Contact us for more information on this excellent high tech material.Call us at 866-832-9315 or send us a note here.
A newly released form of Filled PEEK is now available. This PEEK is filled with PTFE and is called Unitrex Lf20, and it is filled with 20% PTFE. This new grade of PTFE Filled PEEK plastic was originally produced by Nytef Plastics. It is an extruded thermoplastic that comes in both rod and sheet form. This grade has significantly improved properties over the standard unfilled grades of PEEK. The PTFE filler provides excellent wear properties and has a very low co-efficient of friction, which makes this a great material for sliding and wear applications, and is made to last for long periods of abuse. Unitrex Lf20 has great machinability and dimensionally stability. It has a wide range of uses in such fields as medical, semi-conductor, and aerospace seals, where standard PEEK is too rigid. These properties enable this material to replace Polyimide (Vespel®) and PCTFE (formerly Kel-F) in many applications of high chemical resistance and the ductility for use in seals. This Filled PEEK works extremely well in Medical, Semi-Conductor and Aerospace Seal applications.
PTFE Filled PEEK vs. PTFE Filled Acetal
Comparable to Lf13 which is 13% PTFE filled Delrin® (Delrin® AF), which is also good for most of the same types of applications but cannot withstand the high temperatures than that of Unitrex Lf20. The PTFE Filled PEEK has a melting point of 650 degrees F while the PTFE Filled Delrin® – Unital® Lf13 has a melt point of 347 degrees F, making both materials high temperature plastics.
Because the Nytef Unitrex Lf20 is filled with PTFE (which has the lowest co-efficient of friction of any plastic), it is ideal for sliding and wear applications. It also has a kinetic and static friction resistance of 0.1 which makes it the perfect choice for jobs were heat from friction should not be generated and part longevity is critical. Unitrex Lf20 offers superior properties to many other plastics, such as high heat and chemical resistance but also great friction resistance along with improved properties to make it a great plastic for a wide spectrum of uses.
Why Change from Vespel SP-1 or PCTFE to Unitrex Lf20?
While this new PTFE Filled PEEK will not replace the Vespel SP-1 and PCTFE in all applications, it certainly will in many applications (see table for comparison). The main reason to make a change is, drum roll please, COST. The Unitrex Lf20 is up to 30% less expensive that the other materials. With similar and comparable properties, consider making the change.
Unitrex® Lf20 also exhibits a far superior chemical resistance to that of its Acetal counterpart due to PEEK having a far better range of chemical resistance to aqueous and organic environments as well as acids and alkalines. Acetal Copolymer tends to degrade when exposed to such chemicals like sulfuric acid and chlorine while PEEK only tends to be attacked by halogens and hydrocarbons such as in crude oils. For additional properties and to compare the Unitrex LF-20 to Dupont Vespel SP-1 and PCTFE see the table below. Here is a copy of the full data sheet on Nytef Unitrex Lf20.
Standard Properties Table
Properties
TestMethod
Unit
UnitrexLF20 Nominal Value
PCTFE(Kel-f) Nominal Value
VespelSP-1 Nominal Value
Specific Gravity
ASTM-D-792
1.42
2.1 – 2.14
1.43
Tensile Strength
ASTM-D-638
psi
11,500
4,800 – 5,300
12,500
Tensile Modulus
ASTM-D-638
psi
460,000
207,000
–
Flexural Modulus
ASTM-D-790
psi
500,000
180,000
450,000
Rockwell Hardness
ASTM-D-785
84-D
90-D
45 – 60 E
Melting Point
DSC
degress F
650
410 – 415
680+
Flammability
UL 94
@ 3.0mm
V-0
V-0
V-0
Kinetic Coef. of Friction
ASTM-D-1894
0.1
–
–
Static Coef. of Friction
ASTM-D-1894
0.1
–
–
For additional details on these and other materials, please contact us here or call us at 866-832-9315
Unitrex and Unital are registered trademarks of Polymer Industries Delrin and Vespel are registered trademarks of E.I. Dupont
A frequent question is ‘Where are you located’, and we are happy to share our address.While we service the entire United States, our shipping warehouse is regional.
We are in Anaheim, California, and have been since 1975. Here is our street address:
Industrial Plastic Supply, Inc.
2240 Dupont Dr.
Anaheim, CA 92806
866-832-9315 or 714-978-3520
Our Fax number is: 714-978-2812
Thinking Nationally, Serving Locally
Providing local industrial clients high quality materials for over 37 years, we find that having a warehouse full of materials is a benefit to you, our client. The inventory is here, and we welcome you to come by for a visit. We service the entire USA on a daily basis, however, we still are a local company and can service your local needs today. You requested more stock of the items you need, and we have done our best to have the most popular materials in stock, with more on the way.
When selecting our location, we considered many factors, including: freeway access, central location, easy to find, etc. We picked Anaheim because it is in the center of Orange County. We are centrally located between Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Bernardino and San Diego Counties. We have clients pick up here from Ventura County and even Santa Barbara Counties! We really are easy to find, right across the street from the ‘Big A’ – Anaheim Stadium where the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play ball.
Next time you are traveling in Orange County, we invite you to stop by and see the huge inventory of industrial, mechanical and engineering plastic sheet, plastic rod and tube we have here for you.
The world is an ever changing and frequently hostile environment. Damage can be caused by a range of factors: from storms, floods, tornado to fires, hurricanes and earthquakes – all natural disasters.
This is certainly evident in the recent earthquakes and tsunami that ravaged Japan and Haiti. In addition, we have man made disasters. The nuclear concerns in Japan have captivated people’s attention throughout the globe. The Gulf Oil Spill is an example of another environmental disaster. Plastic materials are the perfect choice in prevention, preparedness and clean up from natural disasters.
Plastics in disaster preparedness.
Many plastic materials are used in the prevention, control and repair management – whenever and wherever a natural disaster may occur.
One of the most visible plastics is the Polycarbonate used in hurricane window covers / shutters. Polycarbonate is a clear rigid plastic that has extremely high impact strength, and is the material most commonly known as ‘Bullet Resistant Glazing’. It is used in safety glasses, riot shields and bank theft prevention glazing. The Polycarbonate protects windows and inhabitants from flying debris and breaking glass caused by the high winds, hurricanes or tornado. Use of the Polycarbonate window coverings saves homes from damage, and helps reduce insurance premiums.
Hillsides are affected by storms and heavy rains, causing mud slides. The standard and most popular solution is to cover hillsides with Polyethylene film. This helps to prevent the rains from saturating the ground and causing the ground to move or shift. The Poly film is normally .004” – .010” thick in widths up to 20 feet and lengths of 100 feet (the same material used as painters tarps from home improvement centers). This film is then attached to the hill with spikes, stakes or sand bags; and this material sheds the water rather than letting it soak in. It can be applied with folds and used like rain gutters to direct water flow away from specific areas. Also, the current sand bags used are not the old cotton fabric bags used years ago; they are now a high strength and tear resistant woven polypropylene ‘fabric’ bag.
The recent critical issues with nuclear leaks bring up an interesting use of a plastic material. As you may recall, after the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese energy experts were pumping water and boron into the reactors to help control the amount of nuclear energy released.
The nuclear industry uses a plastic material, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) that has been filled with the natural mineral boron. This boron filled (typically a 5% boron fill) is used to shield neutrons and nuclear energy in many applications; nuclear submarines, nuclear power plants, hospital radiation, dental x-ray shielding and industrial radiation applications. It is normally produced in sheet, and can then be mounted in and around the radiation source as shielding. The benefit to using this boron filled HDPE is this sheet weighs significantly less than traditional lead shielding, and is therefore much easier to install.
Plastic used in clean up from disasters
It is much more difficult to clean up after natural disasters occur. Many of the methods used in the preparation limit the amount of clean up caused by natural disasters.
Depending on the severity of the natural disaster, the uses of plastics in the aftermath are almost limitless. In the cleanup and rebuild after major Earthquakes, shelter is a key component. One of the quick shelters brought in are simple wooden frames with twin-wall plastic sheets made from either Polypropylene or Polycarbonate stapled or nailed to the framework. This provides an inexpensive, easily movable and effective shelter for short term housing. The twin-wall design provides excellent insulation and energy savings. This style shelter is foldable, easy to transport and very easy to set up. Several versions can be made from small huts to larger family areas, to separate sanitary latrine units. These extruded twin-wall materials work well to protect against rain and excessive exposure to the elements. These can be used as assembled, or with a sand bag reinforced perimeter. In Haiti, there were reports of residents filling used one gallon water bottles with mud, and building shelters with these mud building blocks.
The gulf oil spill brought plastics to the front line in disaster cleanup again. Materials used to collect and dispose of excess oil from the waters were rushed to the area. Polyethylene bags are used to collect the oil covered and saturated cleaning rags and clothes, preventing additional dispersion. Many varieties of machinery were brought in to clean the waters. One style machine uses 8” UHMW rod as a squeegee roller that grabs the oil from the water surface and then collects it for later use. Oil booms and rotary wheels are common systems for collecting oil from spills. Because plastics have great surface tension, the oil ‘sticks’ to the plastic surface during the cleaning process. Then the plastic surfaces are wiped clean for reuse and capturing the oil. Plastic tubes and hoses are used to move the oil after collection.
A significant use of plastics would be in the aftermath of natural disasters, specifically in the sanitation and clean water areas. First is sanitation; plastics are used in keeping items clean and dry. Polyethylene film covers items such as medical supplies, shelters, clothing and food cartons. This film keeps the items protected during shipment and ready for use.
Water is the second area of concern. Clean water is critical during the clean up and resettling after a natural disaster. Individual use water bottles are the quick and easy way to deliver water. Larger rotationally molded tanks are brought in with the ability to store large amounts of water in the areas affected. Reverse osmosis equipment (many components are made from plastic) is brought in to convert contaminated water in the clean potable water on site.
In all of these examples, plastic is lighter in weight than the alternatives, normally less expensive that the alternatives, it lasts longer and the plastics are recyclable.
Plastics are excellent choices for material to use in natural disasters.
This is the blogging platform for the website: www.iplasticsupply.com– Industrial Plastic Supply in Anaheim, CA.
Industrial Plastic Supply has been serving the mechanical, industrial, medical, food processing and many other industries since 1975. We supply a huge range of plastic sheets, strip, slab, blocks, rods and tubes. With over 80 plastics in stock, we can assist with the materials you need.
As a method to bring a more informative and direct link to you, we created Plastic Mentor.
The focus of the Plastic Mentor Blog is to share information, educate, and answer your plastic material questions.
Please feel free to ask your tough question. One of our certified and experienced ‘Plasticologists’ will be happy to get back with you. Click Here to contact us. Also, we welcome you to call us with questions, problems, material inquiries, etc. Call us at 866-832-9315
Don’t be a stranger, send us an e-mail, call us or stop by our Anaheim, CA warehouse (2240 S. Dupont Drive, Anaheim, CA 92806). We would love to start a plastic relationship.
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