Thermopla lastic T Technolo logie ies f for Firearms and Firearm - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THERM0PLASTIC ELASTOMERS • STRUCTURAL • WEAR CONDUCTIVE • COLOR • FLAME RETARDANT Thermopla lastic T Technolo logie ies f for Firearms and Firearm Accessories Zach Halverson Product Development Engineer - Structural RTP Company

Agenda YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS • RTP Company – Who we are and what we do – Why use thermoplastics in firearms • Firearm Related Technologies – Reinforcements • Low aspect, short glass, VLF (long fiber), carbon fiber – Color – Challenging application solutions – Lightweighting and Ergonomics • Review/Questions

Profile ile YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS • RTP Company is an independent , privately . owned compounder • Global manufacturing and engineering support • Worldwide sales representation/distribution • Established in 1982 • 1300 + employees • $450+ million annual sales

Independent Specialty Compounder YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS • Compounder  We blend thermoplastic resins with fillers, additives, and modifiers • Specialty  We create engineered formulations tailored to your precise needs • Independent  We are unbiased in our selection of raw materials

Worldwide Support YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS

Your GLOBAL Compounder YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Global Manufacturing Sites

Product Families YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS COMPREHENSIVE PRODUCT LINE STRUCTURAL WEAR RESISTANT CONDUCTIVE THERMOPLASTIC ELASTOMERS FILM AND SHEET FLAME RETARDANT COLOR Compounds formulated to meet your needs

Why Thermoplastics? YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS  Weight Reduction  Design Freedom  Custom Colored  High Temperature  Thermal Insulation  Impact Resistance  Strong and Durable  Corrosion Resistance

F&TA Technical Brief YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS

F&TA Technical Brief YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS

Technologies for Firearms YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS • Fillers and Reinforcements – Influence of aspect ratio on mechanical properties – Beads, minerals, short glass, long glass, carbon fiber • Color – Critical matches and functional additives • Application Specific – Impact, high temperature, UP, stabilization • Density Modification – High gravity, lightweighting • Ergonomics – Bondable Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE’s)

Fillers -Aspect R t Rati tio YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Property change determined by: Aspect Ratio Reinforcing Minerals (Talc) Fibers (Glass) Long Glass Fiber Aspect Ratio = 300+ Aspect Ratio = 2-50 Aspect Ratio = 50-250 Aspect Ratio = 1

Low Low Aspe pect R Ratio YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Reusable Plastic Handling Container • – Tight Tolerance – Durable – Chemical Resistance – Stiffness – Cheap Solution • – Mineral Filled Polypropylene How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – Materials molds to very tight tolerances and maintains good dimensional stability while keeping very low costs. Firearm Crossover Example • – Gun Cases

Dim imensio ional S l Stabilit ility YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Mineral/Beads Shrink Rate x = Shrink Rate y Flat Part

Stocks, G Grips YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Rifle & Shotgun Stocks & Pistol Grips • – Light Weight – Durable – Chemical Resistance – Good Surface Appearance Solution • – Nylon 6/6 + Short Glass Fiber How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – Materials demonstrate great durability while maintaining a low specific gravity. Un - deteriorated from typical chemicals such as gun cleaner, deet , & gas and oil…

Non on- Uniform Shrink = Warp YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Glass Fibers Shrinkage X1 & X2 ≠ X3 ≠ Y1 Warp

Oil Pan C Case Study YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Oil Pan • – Chemical Resistance – Excellent Strength, Stiffness, & Impact – Good Heat Resistance – Moderate Cost – Extremely Tight Dimensions & Flat Solution • – ????

Strength & Warp Control YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Glass Fiber + Mineral Combo Shrink Rate x = Shrink Rate y Flat Part Common Loading = 15% Glass Fiber & 25% Mineral or Beads

Case Study YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Oil Pan • – Chemical Resistance – Excellent Strength, Stiffness, & Impact – Good Heat Resistance – Moderate Cost – Extremely Tight Dimensions & Flat Solution • – Nylon 6/6 + 15% Glass fiber + 25% Mineral How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – Nylon 6/6 brings good heat and chemical resistance while the glass fibers provide necessary reinforcement and mineral aids in maintaining geometric constraints Firearms Crossover Example: Firearm hardware with warping problems

Magaz azines es YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Requirements • – High Impact (even at low temps) – Chemical Resistance – Lightweight – Wear Resistant – Stiff Solution • – VLF (very long fiber) Nylon or RTPU How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – Materials demonstrate great durability and impact strength to protect the magazine from drops even at low temps. Good wear resistance to keep the magazine functioning at optimal performance; no shells sticking in the magazine. – Colorable and won’t dent like metal!

Extreme Aspect Ratio YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Short Fiber Long Fiber Fiber Length ~ 1-2 mm 12 mm

Sec ecret t to Success: T : The e Skel eleton YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS PA 66 + 60% VLF Seat Belt Tensioner Housing

Drop I Impact Te Test YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Increasing impact load Short VLF Fiber Nylon Nylon

RTP TP VLF Product Offering YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS RTP Series Resin 100 Polypropylene 200 Nylons (Polyamides) 300 Polycarbonate 400 Polystyrene 600 ABS 700 HDPE 800 POM 1000 PBT 1300 PPS PPS 1400 PES 21 2100 PEI EI 2200 PEEK EEK 2300 RTPU 4000 PPA PA * RTP Ultra Performance Products

Lightwei eight R Rei einforcement YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Kayak Paddle • – Strength – Stiffness – Lightweight – Aesthetics Solution • – Nylon + Carbon Fiber How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – Carbon fiber provided excellent reinforcement and weight savings over glass fiber in a nylon compound while maintaining acceptable aesthetics to the customer while also increasing marketability. Firearms Crossover Example: Hig igh- end firearm components where increased performance and ligh ghtwei eight a are c e crucial.

Carbon Fiber YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Standa dard d Modulu lus Fiber E-Gla lass Fiber Carbo rbon F Fibe ber Typical Diameter, µm 10-17 5-10 Density, g/cm 3 2.55 1.81 Est. Tensile Strength, MPa 3400 4100 Est. Tensile Modulus, GPa 73 240

Fillers and Reinforcements YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS RTP 200 SERIES RTP 200 RTP 227 RTP 207 VLF 80207 EM HS RTP 287 NYLON 6,6 COMPOUNDS 0 40% Talc 40% SGF 40% VLF 40% CF Filler / Reinforcement Unfilled Short Fiber Very Long Fiber Mineral Carbon Fiber 0.014 0.007 0.004 0.002 0.001 Mold Shrinkage, in/in Specific Gravity 1.14 1.50 1.46 1.46 1.31 Tensile Strength, psi 11,000 11,000 32,000 33,000 40,000 Flexural Modulus, Mpsi 0.4 1.0 1.7 1.8 3.7 Notched Izod Impact, 1.0 0.9 2.6 6.5 2.0 ft-lb/in HDT @ 264 psi, °F 160 400 480 490 485

YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Color

Color with Function YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Rifle Body • – Strength – Stiffness – Impact – Lightweight – Critical Color Match Solution • – Nylon + VLF (long glass reinforcement) + Color Masterbatch (MB) How Solution Satisfies Problem? • – VLF provides strength, stiffness, and good impacts in custom matched colors – even at very low temperatures!

Col olor or YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS PRECOLOR • MASTERBATCHES • CUBE BLENDS Precolors • Masterbatches • Cube blends • Functional Additives • Custom Color Matches LED Light Diffusion

Not Just Color! YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS • Laser Marking • Glow-in-the- dark • Spray Colors – Camo colors (certain resins) • Edge Glow • Thermochromatic • Photochromatic • Light- diffusing • Antibacterial

YOUR GLOBAL COMPOUNDER OF CUSTOM ENGINEERED THERMOPLASTICS Application Specific Technologies