First PPS with Very High Flexibility

Toray Industries has developed the first PPS in the world that boasts high flexibility without compromising heat and chemical resistance properties.

A PPS resin which reportedly has the highest flexibility level of any other commercial PPS while maintaining its superior heat resistance and chemical resistance, has been developed by Toray Industries, Inc. (U.S. office in New York, N.Y.). The company is proposing applications of the new resin primarily for automotive applications initially but will also pursue expansion of its application into various industrial material fields.

PPS is known as a super engineering plastic with well-balanced superior heat resistance and chemical resistance properties, and sales growing at a 7% annually. It is widely used primarily in automotive applications which require heat resistance, light weight and high strength to replace metals. PPS resin containing elastomers is used in applications that require flexibility such as washers and automobile piping. However, up until now, there have been limits to adding flexibility to PPS without compromising its heat resistance and chemical resistance, and the development of a PPS with high flexibility had been a challenge over many years.

Toray succeeded in the development of the novel PPS,with the world’s highest flexibility level of 1,200 MPa (174,045 psi) or less in elastic modulus,by optimizing the polymer structure using its innovative material design based on a technology database accumulated in research and development over many years and the precise control alloy technology based on its proprietary nanoalloy technology.Mechanical strength of the new PPS resin does not deteriorate even after 1,000 hours of treatment at 170℃ (338 F) and it has also been confirmed to have high resistance to acids and vehicle coolants, which is required in actual operating environment. The company also has been driving forward verification of processability with an eye on deployment in automobile piping applications and optimization of resin property. Toray has already begun recommending the material for automobile piping and is preparing for the introduction of a production system in the near future.