Sintering Porous Plastics 101

Sintering of porous plastics is a process whereby various porous materials are fused together, but not to the point where it liquefies, using specific controlled heat and/or pressure applications. The materials used may be most any thermoplastic polymers but polyethylene or polypropylene are more commonly used.

Picture a barrel that you have filled with ping pong balls. Everywhere that the balls touch one another, they fuse together. You remove them from the barrel and have, what appears to be, a solid barrel. Actually, it is made up of thousands of tiny connecting pores or open spaces, which is called the void volume. These connecting pores mean that the material is permeable to fluids and can be used as a filter, wick, vent, fluid delivery, or diffusion mechanism, depending on the need.

Producing defined pore sizes and void volume using thermoplastic polymers that cost less, have repeatable performance, are sterilizable, exhibit excellent robustness, chemical and corrosion resistance, and have dual filtration capabilities, means these sintered porous plastics may be widely used for a diverse range of applications.

Here at Polystar Technologies, we are dedicated to helping you create components to fit every size, shape, and function that will perform for your product needs.
Tagged: sintering, porous plastics, filter, wick, vent, fluid delivery, diffusion mechanism