Plastic Injection Molding for Defense Industries
Precision manufacturing and metal replacement
- High performance plastic
- Plastics up to 50% lighter than metals
- Flexible, custom designs
Benefits of plastic in the defense industry
Plastics are used in defense applications for their high-performance characteristics, enduring extreme temperatures without changing shape. Thermoplastics are also chemical-resistant, weather-resistant, and flame-resistant suitable for defense applications.
Complex geometries – Plastic injection molding is exact and customizable; it can be used to create a wide variety aircraft parts and components with unique shapes and fine features.
Tight tolerances – Plastics can be molded, machined, and finished to the extremely tight tolerances required by the defense industries.
Repeatability – Using advanced injection molding machines, we can produce a large number of uniform and precise military-grade products
PEEK and Torlon components
PEEK (Polyetheretherketone) and Torlon (PAI) are the two most commonly used ultra engineering plastics in the defense industry.
- PEEK is a thermoplastic polymer that often is formed into valve seats and pump gears because of its low flammability, creep resistance, and ability to endure high water pressure and temperatures exceeding 400°F.
- Torlon is often a replacement for metal due to its excellent creep resistance, low thermal expansion, and heat-resistance up to 500°F. It is also one of the highest performing melt-processable thermoplastic polymers available.
Thermoplastic in defense sectors
Machined and molded plastics are heavily used in manufacturing military components for various defense applications, including:
- Aerospace: Aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, air defense systems.
- Military Vehicles: Tanks, humvees, armored personnel carriers, other land-based combat vehicles.
- Naval Systems: Submarines, surface ships, naval aircraft carriers.
- Electronics and Communications: Electronic systems, sensors, radars, communication equipment, electronic warfare systems.
- Defense Services and Logistics: The Department of Defense recognizes the importance of thermoplastics in support services, logistics, maintenance, training, and consultancy.
- Research and Development (R&D):Injection molding and machining is heavily used in the research and development of new military technologies.
- Defense Contractors: Private defense contractors use molded plastics in equipment and system manufacturing.
From 1 piece to 10+ million pieces, Aztec has you covered
- Prototype stage and all you need is a couple of parts
- Low volume projects, 50-5,000 pieces
- Multiple programs, but low volume
- High volume contract manufacturing project with millions of parts needed annually
Is Aztec a good fit for your company?
- Customizable, flexible and lightweight products
- Your experiencing supply and cost effective obstacles
- Chemical, weather, and flame resistant parts
- Large facility looking for a high volume producing partner
- Safety mindset