Polyimide's Unique Status as a Wonder Engineering Material

Polyimide's Unique Status 

as a Wonder Engineering Material

Polyimide's Unique Status as a Wonder Engineering Material

Polyimide is a synthesis of an aromatic dianhydride polymer and the aromatic diamine polymer. The resulting polymer possesses the following properties.

• Polyimide can maintain physical, electrical and mechanical properties and can withstand temperature fluctuations over a wide range.

• The film does not dissolve in any organic solvent giving it excellent chemical resistance.

Unique properties of polyimide

Polyimide's Unique Status as a Wonder Engineering Material

Polyimide does not burn or melt which means it has a high flammability rating of UL-94 which is the highest possible certification accorded by Underwriters Laboratories. It is a plastics flammability standard for safety which allows this Kapton material in critical use in high-temperature areas. The use of polyimide in low-temperature areas where other organic materials would fail to function makes it a unique material.

Adhesives on Kapton tapes bonds the tape with itself as well as other materials such as plastics, metals, paper, and other types of films.

Use of Polyimide films and tapes

Several uses in industrial applications such as;

• Electrical and electronic insulation
• Formed coil insulation
• Substrates for PCB (printed circuit boards)
• Insulation for Transformers and capacitors
• PSA - Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes
• Motor Slot liners
• Insulation for magnet wires

The uniqueness of polyimide is its ability to maintain physical, chemical, electrical and thermal properties over wide temperature ranges and thus is useful as a versatile industrial material.

Other features include the potential to laminate and metallize with other materials. It can be punched, die-cut to shape; adhesive coated either single side or double sided. The film thickness ranges from one mil (one-thousandth of an inch) to 5 mils.

The film does not stretch and has high breaking strength giving it the property of excellent dimensional stability. Kapton coated with fluoropolymer resin (Teflon) adds heat sealability which imparts a moisture barrier. In other words, waterproofing and chemical resistance are an important metric. There are other attributes which several industries are just finding out such as;

• Antistatic property
• Insulating cryogenic materials
• Corona-resistant (high voltage materials)
• Conformable - able to adhere to any surface
• The film can be pigmented with color

Apart from America and Germany China has leapfrogged over several other nations in the manufacture of polyimide. Tianjian Tianyuan in China pioneered the production of polyimide in 1970. They were the first polyimide tape manufacturer in China. Since then Tianjin has ramped up their research and development program which has allowed several other polyimide film tape suppliers from China to increase production facilities. The result of these efforts has enabled polyimide tapes suppliers in China to be competitive in the world market while at the same time created the perfect industrial environment in China becoming the leading electronic and electrical device manufacturer in the world.