Machining PI Polyimide Tecasint 1011

Tecasint® 1011 is an unfilled polyimide (PI) from the Tecasint 1000 series, distinguished within this family by particularly high strength and elongation at break. Polyimides belong to the group of high-performance plastics with the highest continuous service temperatures on the market: Tecasint 1011 reaches a glass transition temperature of 383 °C and a heat distortion temperature of 368 °C – values that clearly exceed many other high-performance plastics such as PEEK or PEI. The material is naturally black, has high creep resistance, is inherently flame retardant (UL 94 V0) and shows very low outgassing in high vacuum.

Tecasint 1011 can be machined, but due to its water uptake it is sensitive to rapid heating. If parts are to be heated rapidly above 200 °C, we pre-dry them beforehand (2 hours per 3 mm wall thickness at 150 °C) to avoid blistering or cracking. Due to the high hardness and stiffness, we use sharp, wear-resistant tools at moderate feed rates – this lets us reliably achieve tight tolerances down to ±0.02 mm.

Tecasint 1011 pays off where other high-performance plastics reach their thermal limits – for example: continuous use at very high temperatures far above the range of PEEK or PEI, applications in vacuum and aerospace technology requiring low outgassing (ECSS-Q-70-02), parts requiring high creep resistance and resistance against high-energy radiation (nuclear and semiconductor technology), very good electrical insulation combined with high thermal loading, and precision parts in mechanical and precision engineering that must stay dimensionally stable long-term.

Polyimides such as Tecasint 1011 are among the most expensive engineering plastics available – noticeably more expensive than PEEK or PEI. The part price is mainly determined by stock form and dimension, material utilisation (waste), machining effort and batch size. Since Tecasint 1011 is typically used for technically demanding niche applications, the expense is usually only worthwhile when the extreme thermal or mechanical properties are actually required. We are happy to quote binding prices on request based on your drawing.

Tecasint 1011 is not always the economically sensible solution: when a cheaper high-performance plastic such as PEEK or PEI already covers the required service temperature, for food contact applications – no product-specific FDA compliance declaration is available for Tecasint 1011, for permanent contact with hot water or moisture without prior drying, since the material is sensitive to hydrolysis, and it is generally not intended for medical or dental implants.

An honest assessment: Advantages: very high temperature resistance (glass transition 383 °C), high strength and stiffness, high creep resistance, very good electrical insulation properties, resistant against high-energy radiation, low outgassing in high vacuum, inherently flame retardant (UL 94 V0). Disadvantages: sensitive to hydrolysis at elevated temperatures, significant water uptake requiring pre-drying, considerably higher material cost than standard and many engineering plastics, no FDA compliance available for food contact.