DuPont: Vespel® Adds to its Portfolio of Solutions to Boost Efficiency, Drive Out Costs in ‘Hot, Dirty’ Operating Environments

The DuPont™ Vespel® parts and shapes business expands its high performance portfolio with Vespel® SP-2515 polyimide parts, which can improve dimensional control, reduce component weight and drive cost out in fluid- and motion-control systems.

“This new product supports our strategy to put science to work in ways that help reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Dave Ritchey, DuPont™ Vespel® global transportation marketing director. “Vespel® SP-2515 – which can improve efficiency by reducing friction, weight and cost – is one of several new product and design innovations from Vespel®, which accesses the vast DuPont network of global R&D and application development centers to meet specific market needs.”

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Parts made from DuPont™ Vespel® SP-2515 demonstrate a low coefficient of thermal expansion to better match metal, excellent wear properties against aluminum and a low coefficient of friction ... all of which can help improve dimensional control, reduce weight and increase component efficiency for lower total system cost.

“The metal friendly nature of Vespel® SP-2515 enables the use of lightweight aluminum as a mating surface for rotating or moving parts,” said Ritchey. “The good wear of Vespel® SP-2515 can eliminate heavy, expensive steel inserts, used to protect the aluminum parts from aggressive materials, such as cast iron or filled thermoplastics.”

Additionally, parts made of Vespel® SP-2515 offer high thermal conductivity – more than 4 times higher than parts made of Vespel® SP-21 – to help remove heat from critical bearing surfaces, which can lead to cooler running parts and higher PV (pressure x velocity) limits.

DuPont™ Vespel® SP-2515 is initially targeted for the global automotive and commercial vehicle industry where tight tolerances, durability and improvements in energy efficiency are demanded.

Recently commercialized in seal rings, which demand low friction, extreme tolerance control over a broad temperature range, and long life, Vespel® SP-2515 has demonstrated more consistent leakage control than cast iron and other polymeric alternatives. The ability to ‘fine tune’ leakage rates over a broader temperature range helps deliver an efficient and smooth operating transmission and can also lead to a smaller oil pump – which helps reduce parasitic energy losses.

“While extensive testing has shown Vespel® SP-2515 improves the performance of transmission seal rings, we also see attributes which are beneficial more broadly, such as in hydraulic valves, thrust washers and bushings in powertrain applications,” said Ritchey.

Additionally, Vespel® SP-2515 performs very well in environments where contamination particles like carbon, dirt or metal debris can cause rapid failure of components – an extremely important feature in engine components like EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) bushings and turbo linkages where dirt is a constant problem.

For more than 40 years, the Vespel® parts and shapes business has delivered ‘big science, part by part, faster than ever before’ through high-performance, cost-effective solutions for critical fluid- and motion-control systems. In automotive and commercial vehicles, Vespel® parts are used to manage friction in powertrain applications ranging from emission components, variable valve systems, turbochargers and air induction modules. In driveline applications Vespel® parts excel in seal rings, thrust washers and fork pads in automatic, continuously variable, and manual transmissions, transfer cases and torque converters. In heavy-duty off-road transmissions and hydraulic motors, Vespel® seal rings and thrust washers deliver long life and cost-effective solutions to meet short lead time demands and low-volume production requirements.

For more about Vespel® SP-2515, visit tryvespel.dupont.com. For more information about DuPont™ Vespel®, visit vespel.dupont.com.

DuPont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, Neu-Isenburg, Germany

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