Discover the Future of Polyketone Selection: Introducing the Aliphatic Polyketone (PK) Grade Screening App

Hello and welcome to a new blog post in which I introduce to you my new created Polyketone selection app. 

Polymer Material Selection and Plastic Part Design with Polyketone

In the fast-paced world of polymer material selection and plastic part design, finding the right material can be a daunting task. With the growing demand for high-performance, sustainable materials, aliphatic Polyketone (PK) is gaining renewed attention among engineers and designers—especially in Europe. That’s why I’m excited to introduce my newly developed app, designed to revolutionize the way you scout and screen commercial aliphatic Polyketone grades!

A Brief Journey Through Polyketone’s History

Polyketone’s story is as unique as its properties. Originally launched in the 1990s by Shell under the brand name Carilon, aliphatic Polyketone quickly attracted interest for its remarkable balance of mechanical and chemical properties. However, the material was discontinued in 2000, leaving a gap in the market. Fast forward to 2013, and Hyosung Corporation breathed new life into PK with the launch of Poketone, making this versatile polymer available once again.

What makes Polyketone so special? 

Its semi-crystalline molecular structure, alternating between carbon monoxide (CO) and olefin, imparts a unique set of properties. PK is available as both a copolymer (ethylene and CO) and a terpolymer (ethylene, propylene, and CO). The terpolymer variant, in particular, offers enhanced processing for extrusion and injection molding applications. Thanks to its excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and low permeability, PK is a strong candidate to replace traditional engineering polymers like Polyamides, POM, and PBT.

Your New Go-To Tool for PK Grade Selection

Selecting the right Polyketone grade just got easier! My new app (try out here) is tailored to help engineers, designers, and material specialists efficiently navigate the landscape of commercially available aliphatic PK grades—focusing on European providers.

Two Powerful Ways to Search

1. Direct Grade Selection:

Choose from a comprehensive list of commercial Polyketone grades. Instantly access key properties such as:

• Tensile strength
• Tensile modulus
• Elongation at break
• Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) at 1.8 MPa
• UL rating
• Charpy notched impact

2. Property-Based Search:

Have specific requirements in mind? Simply enter your desired property values, and the app will recommend matching commercial PK grades that fit your needs.

This dual approach streamlines the material selection process, saving you valuable time and ensuring you find the best fit for your application.

Figure 1: Overview of the Polyketone Selector "PK Selector" V1.

Built for the Community—And Growing!

This is just the beginning. As the first version, the app currently covers the most critical properties and a robust selection of grades. Over time, I plan to expand the database with more properties and additional grades, making the tool even more powerful and versatile.

Get Involved!

I invite you to try out the new Polyketone selection tool here and experience a smarter way to choose your next engineering polymer. Your feedback is invaluable—please share your thoughts, suggestions, or feature requests to help shape future updates.

Are you a supplier or manufacturer with a Polyketone grade you’d like to see listed? Reach out to me directly—I’m eager to collaborate and make this resource as comprehensive as possible for the entire community.

Ready to streamline your Polyketone selection process? Try the app today and join the conversation!

Thanks for reading and trying out the app!

Greetings and #findoutaboutplastics

Herwig 

Literature: 

[1] https://www.poketone.com/en/index.do

[2] https://www.polyketon.de/

Replacing Power Tool Housing Materials: PA 6 vs PP with chemically coupled GF vs PK I Polymer Material Selection

Hello and welcome to a new blog post. In today's post we discuss some potential materials for replacing established power tool housing materials. Among the established materials for power tool applications are mainly polyamides, in particular polyamide 6 (PA 6) with 30 wt% glass fiber reinforcement and also polyamide 6 with impact modifications. They have been  in use for over 25 years and also the polyamide compounds over time were improved leading to an increased quality of the final parts. There are several motivations for material change and the major driver is material cost, together with good availability of commodity plastics. 

In parallel there are potential replacement materials coming up, for example ABS which is used more and more for certain parts of power tools however also polypropylene compounds find more and more their way into engineering applications. 

Comparison: PP, PP-GF, PP with chemically coupled GF vs PA 6 –GF30

Polyolefin compounds with chemically coupled class fibers are attractive materials to replace PA-GF 30wt%. Figure 1 compares the tensile strength of an unreinforced polypropylene, a polypropylene with standard class fiber reinforcement and a polypropylene with chemically coupled class fibers (both with a 30 wt% glass fiber loading) at room temperature. On the right side of Figure 1, the tensile strength of PA 6- GF 30 wt% is shown (orange lined bar). It can be shown that by using chemically coupled class fiber PP compounds, an improvement in tensile strength of 180 to 190% compared to the unreinforced PP is achieved as well as a doubling of the tensile strength compared to the standard PP- GF 30 wt%. 

Interesting is the comparison of PA 6 - GF 30 wt% (conditioned state) to the chemically coupled GF - PP: PA 6 tensile strength ranges between 100-110 MPa and with chemically coupled GF PP we are slightly below that value, however with adoption in design, similar performance can be achieved. 

Figure 1: Comparing the tensile strength of PP, PP-GF30, PP-GF30 (chemically bonded GF), and PA 6- GF30 at room temperature. 

Designing parts with Polyolefins compared to engineering plastics: Advantages and critical topics

Designing technical parts with polyolefins such as PP can be challenging. Part design engineers need to balance the integration of functions and need to achieve high technical quality parts however with a reduced property level of the material (PP vs PA). Therefore understanding the advantages and some critical points of PP with chemically coupled  glass fibers is crucial. 

Table 1 outlines the most important advantages of using PP with chemically coupled glass fibers, together with critical points. On the one hand, PP has excellent flow properties and this enables to have parts with longer flow length or thinner wall thickness. Also, filling more complicated geometries is possible too. PP has good impact properties and important is that PP is not losing these impact properties in the minus temperature range. We have almost the same deformation capability as with a polyamide. Important advantage is the lower cost of the material, together with lower density compared to PA and we have also a good heat distortion temperature (HDT). For certain engineering applications, the HDT of PP is sufficient. Additionally,  there is no need of conditioning the final parts compared to PA (dry and conditioned state). 

More critical with such materials is the higher shrinkage and warpage level compared to polyamides, resulting in a stronger dependency of the shrinkage in the flow and cross-flow direction. An important topic is surface quality especially with power tool housing and know-how in colouring of such PP compounds is needed. In terms of processing,  polyolefins have a longer processing cycle (10 to 15% longer compared to a polyamide). In the part design phase, more engineering is needed, since we want the same quality level of parts however have a material with reduced or other properties (such us other shrinkage/warpage behaviour).

Table 1: Comparison of advantages and critical points of PP with chemically coupled GF.

Other potential materials: Polyketones and recycled PA 6 for carbon footprint reduction

Apart from PP with chemically coupled glass fibers, polyketones with 30 wt% glass fiber reinforcement can be interesting too, especially when the application reaches a temperature level of 90°C. 

Figure 2 compares the tensile strength of PK- GF 30 wt% and PP - GF 30 wt% at 23°C and 90°C. Polyketone reaches a tensile strength level at 90°C which is higher than the tensile strength of PP - GF 30 wt% at room temperature.

Figure 2: Comparison tensile strength of PP-GF30 with PK-GF30 at 23°C and 90°C[2]. 

Reducing the carbon footprint of PA 6 - GF 30 wt% (and potentially also costs) can be achieved by using a mechanically recycled PA 6 (Figure 3; up to 85% reduction -  check out the calculator here) or switching to another polymer. Polyketones can lower the CO2 footprint as much as 28 % CO2 eq/part compared to PA 6.6 - GF 30 wt%. 

Figure 3: Potential CO2 reduction by switching from PA6-GF30 to a mechanically recycled PA6-GF30.

Allover, replacing engineering plastics by cheaper commodity plastics is in full swing and if you have interest in a material switch, I invite you to reach out to me for support. 

Check out the YouTube video on this topic here or below too: 

Thanks for reading/watching and #findoutaboutplastics

Herwig Juster

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My personal website for polymer consulting

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Literature: 

[1] https://www.borealisgroup.com/products/polyolefins/brands/fibremod

[2] https://akro-plastic.com/en/compounds/akrotek-pk

[3] https://www.rtpcompany.com/technical-info/data-sheets/series-100/

Aliphatic and Aromatic Polyketones – Introduction, Performance Comparison and Applications

 

In this blog post we review the aliphatic and aromatic Polyketones. What are the differences and what makes them special?

Introduction

Let us get started with the structure of Polyketones. The key for understanding Polyketones is the ketone group. In general, a ketone group has the structure of R2R=O, where R stands for a replacement compound.  Also, ketones have a carbon-oxygen double bond (= carbonyl group). The carbonyl group is important since it leads to a high polar behavior. Carbon has a slight positive charge and the oxygen has a negative charge. The strong attraction of the carbonyl groups to one another leads to an increase in melt temperature (255°C), compared to Polyethylene (140°C).  

In the case of aliphatic Polyketones, the ketone group is part of the backbone, together with carbon monoxide (copolymer) or carbon monoxide, ethylene, and propylene (terpolymer).

Figure 1: ketone unit (above) and a monomer unit of Polyketone (below) [1]

.

Figure 2: Polyketone made out of ethylene and carbon monoxide [1]. 

In the case of aromatic Polyketones, the R-rests are constituted out of phenyls, together with the carbonyl group (Figure 3). Additionally, Polyaryletherketone makes use of the diphenyl ether groups too (Figure 4). The role of the aromatic ring structure is another key for understanding the high performance properties. High macromolecule stiffness, high heat and chemical resistance are the result of having ring structures in the polymer backbone [2]. Explanation for this behaviour are the double bonds of benzene which are not statically localized, i.e. electrons move along the carbon cyclic structure, which is expressed by the ring in the structural formula.

Figure 3: diphenyl ketone - basic structure of aromatic Polyketones.

Figure 4: diphenyl ether group.

Depending how the diphenyl ether and diphenyl ketone groups are aligned in the backbone, different glass- and melt temperatures are obtained (Figure 5).

Figure 5: change in glass- and melt temperature based on the amount of ether and ketone groups in the backbone.

Property Comparison and processing

In Table 1 selected physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of aliphatic and aromatic Polyketones are shown. 

Table 1: property comparison of base and reinforced Polyketones. 

Performance strength of POK and PEEK

Aliphatic Polyketones are engineering polymers which compete with aliphatic Polyamides, PBT, and POM (Acetal). They have a high impact strength (impact/fatigue twice of POM), combined with excellent chemical resistance towards Automotive fluids, hydrocarbon solvents, and salts. Wear and friction properties are better than POM and barrier properties towards Gasoline and Diesel are twice better compared to PA 12. For meeting UL V-0 flame retardancy level only half of flame retardant is needed compared to other engineering polymers. Also, due to fast crystallization rate and good flow properties, short cycle times are possible. In terms of material selection, Polyketone can be used for several applications in the Automotive, Electrical/Electronics, Appliances, Industrial, and Medical market. For a deeper look into applications and properties of Polyketone, I recommend checking out our guest interview with Doug Eom from Hyosung.

Aromatic Polyketones are semi-crystalline high performance polymers (definition according UL 746B) and offer exceptional performance over a wide range of temperatures. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has excellent chemical resistance, low moisture absorption, and good wear and abrasion resistance. Furthermore it has excellent heat distortion properties, a low coefficient of friction, good radiation resistance, low flammability, and good resistance to hydrolysis. Also, it has a high resistance to thermal aging and it is resilient when exposed to boiling water. In case of burning, it releases very low smoke and toxic gases. Based on the aforementioned excellent properties, PEEK is used for applications in aircraft, marine, automotive medical, food processing, defense, and oil and gas industries.

Apart from the different properties between aliphatic and aromatic Polyketones, cost per kilogram material also differs between aliphatic and aromatic Polyketones with a factor of 10 as a rule of thumb.

Final remarks

Depending on your application requirements, aliphatic or aromatic Polyketones may fit your needs in terms of material selection. Due to the ongoing material shortages in the field of engineering polymers such as Polyamides, PBT and POM, I expect that Polyketones will find their way into more and more applications, and this globally.

Thanks for reading and #Findoutaboutplastics

Herwig Juster

 Interested to talk with me about your plastic selection and part design needs - here you can contact me 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

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My YouTube channel

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Enroll here for watching the free parts of the course

Literature:

[1] https://pslc.ws/macrog/level2.htm

[2] https://www.findoutaboutplastics.com/2020/05/the-secret-of-high-performance-polymers.html

[3] https://www.sspseals.com/blog/properties-benefits-peek-material

[4] www.Polysource.net

[5] https://www.findoutaboutplastics.com/2021/05/guest-interview-doug-eom-poketone.html

[6] http://www.poketone.com/en/index.do

Guest Interview: Doug EOM – POKETONE Technical Support Engineer from Hyosung Chemical – “Polyketone can be characterized as strong, tough, and ductile.”

Hello and welcome to this guest interview. Today I present to you Mr. Doug EOM from Hyosung Chemical and we have the chance to learn about polyketones, what they are and where they can be used.

Enjoy the interview!

Tell us about yourself, your current role, and activities at Hyosung.

Thank you for having me on your blog. I am Doug EOM in charge of POKETONE technical support in Hyosung Chemical. I have been working in the plastic industry for 13 years, especially in Hyosung Chemical for 7 years. Basically, I provide technical and application assistance for the sales group and process technical inquiries from the customer base and internally. It’s been 6 years since we have launched POKETONE material, but I think POKETONE is still ‘unknown’ material for many people in the industry. My daily job is all related to how to position POLYKETONE in the existing engineering plastic market and user’s minds as a reliable solution that doesn’t exist before. Since the pandemic situation, I have been more focusing on web marketing for more close support instead of the in-person meeting.

Tell us about the materials you produce, in particular, polyketone; What is it? What are the performance attributes?

POKETONE™, the world's first commercialized polyketone, is non-toxic polymers that are FDA and NSF-approved.

It exhibits excellent chemical resistance, excellent toughness, and abrasion resistance. With its balanced properties, POKETONE™ is widely used in markets such as automotive, water meter, water purifier, toys, medical devices, pipes, films. Every time we introduce POKETONE, our customers always ask us what is so special about polyketone. Polyketone can be characterized as strong, tough, and ductile. Tensile yield stress is 60 MPa. Stiffness is moderate, with a tensile and flexural modulus of 1.5~1.7 GPa. Polyketone also exhibits good retention of stiffness. Superior Resilience and Snap-ability. Elongation at yield is very high (25%), and Polyketone polymers can be subjected to much larger deformation than any other engineering plastics before permanent deformation occurs. Polyketone polymers are also very resilient and well suited to snap-fit assemblies, allowing for relatively large design strain. Polyketone polymers’ impact strength is unusually high and they exhibit a high level of ductility over a broad temperature range.

Looking at the still ongoing tight market situation of polyamides, POM, PBT in 2021 - would Polyketone be an alternative to these engineering Polymers?

The current supply issue is not a short-term phenomenon. The situation has become and will remain critical for PA66, POM, PBT consumers. Since we started promoting the POKETONE in 2015, our customers have been contacting us for substitutes for conventional engineering plastics like PA66 and POM and the current situation is just accelerating the development process for the approval. I mean this situation cannot suddenly interest our unknown customers who are not aware of polyketone. That is why we are more focusing on promoting POKETONE as a potential substitute to the conventional engineering polymers and how to maximize the value in use of POKETONE. Regarding the supply stability, comparing to other engineering plastics, we can supply POKETONE with a more stable price because the fluctuating raw material costs less affect its price. For the smooth material replacement, when switching from PA66 to PK, you have even less to worry about when it comes to different shrinkage and warpage values – PK shrinks in a similar way to PA66. Tools designed for PA, PBT or POM are often suitable for PK. If you have a concern about POM’s toxicity, PA’s water absorption, PBT’s water resistance, or frequent supply shortages, PK would be the reliable solution for your products.

What are some application examples and markets you can use polyketone?

49% of the polyketone applications are related to food and water contact safety for example toys, food conveyor belts, water purifier, and cosmetics & medical products, and 52% are related to chemical/water resistance like oil & gas pipes and water-contact area. I think one of the most representative applications is the food conveyer belt. Food processing facilities have unique challenges that require unique solutions. POKETONE’s good hydrolysis resistance, as well as the dimensional stability, ensure that components made of POKETONE are suitable for food manufactures to safely produced food. Products made of POKETONE especially stand out for a longer life cycle of long-term sanitation chemical exposure than POM. Moreover, POKETONE can withstands mechanical stress very well and shows excellent friction and wear behavior. Due to the combination of outstanding resilience, toughness behavior POKETONE is highly suitable for the production of functional components such as food conveyor belts, valves, plug-in connectors, gear wheels, and spring elements. We offer complete assistance to meet the regulatory requirements for a different region and industry like FDA, EU Directive, NSF, KTW, USP Class VI, and ISO 10993.

How is the processing of Polyketone done? Which processing methods can be used? What are some benefits?

Polyketone can be processed like other thermoplastics through conventional processing techniques like injection molding (including hot runner system), film and pipe extrusion, fiber spinning, etc. to yield molded parts, films, pipes, tubes, or fibers. Like other thermoplastics, polyketone activates material degradation when operated outside of their required operating window. One unusual aspect of the rheological behavior of polyketones its tendency to exhibit a gradual increase in melt viscosity with increasing residence time. That is why we provide the customized technical support for the new customers. Injection molding cycle times for aliphatic polyketone are typically 15-30 percent shorter than those required for the same part when molded from acetal (POM) or nylon (PA). This not only results in reduced processing cost but also increases productivity.

Where can the readers find out more about you and POKETONE?

Whatever you would like to know about POKETONE including your local distributor, sample request, grade selection, or applications in use, you can visit our website.

With the pandemic continuing, we are more enhancing on in-direct communication via social media posting and video conference. We also encourage our employees to share technical content on LinkedIn. You can directly contact our employees through their LinkedIn accounts (this is my account). You can also contact your local polyketone compounder for the customized product (Listed below).

Country

Compounder

Brand name

Germany

LyondellBasell

SCHULAKETON

Germany

Akro Plastic

AKROTEK®

Germany

Ria Polymers

RIAMAXX® HR

USA

Avient

Edgetek™

Swiss

SAX Polymers

SAXAKETON

Turkey

Eurotec

TECOKET®

France

Eurostar

StartOne

Germany

K.D.Feddersen

(Distributor)

POKETONE

That was the guest interview with Doug from Hyosung Chemical – thank you Doug for the interesting insights into the polyketone world!

Greetings and #findoutaboutplastics

Herwig Juster

Interested to talk with me about your plastic selection and part design needs - here you can contact me 

Interested in my monthly blog posts – then subscribe here and receive my high performance polymers knowledge matrix.

New to my Find Out About Plastics Blog – check out the start here section

My YouTube channel

Polymer Material Selection (PoMS) for Electric Vehicles (xEVs) - check out my new online course

Enroll here for watching the free parts of the course