Osborne Company News and Industry Updates

The Difference Between UHMWPE and pDCPD

It’s no secret that both thermosetting plastics and thermoplastics play a significant role in the world today, but with so many different material properties, it can be difficult to determine which one is appropriate for a specific application. How do you determine which material is best?

Two popular plastics with somewhat similar material properties are UHMWPE and pDCPD, both of which offer unique benefits to fabrication and the applications in which they are used. Below, we compare and contrast these two key players to help you decipher which will work best for your application. Read more >

Combination of Composite Materials in Design

For plastic molding projects, the quality and performance of a finished product start with its design. Several molding processes, like Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) and Reaction Injection Molding (RIM), are ideal for accommodating molded-in components that can improve both part quality and performance. Incorporating these composite materials can improve structural integrity or reduce secondary operations. When designed properly, complex plastic molded parts incorporating these components can result in lower production costs and higher strength. Read more >

Video: Amazing Impact Resistance of pDCPD Plastic

Polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) is a highly engineered thermoset polymer with exceptional physical properties including plastic impact resistance, chemical and corrosion resistance, impact strength, stiffness, and heat resistance. Perfect for rough and demanding environments, pDCPD is used in thousands of applications where large, strong, and aesthetically pleasing parts are required.

The design freedom of pDCPD has virtually no limitation on part size or weight. It delivers the molding flexibility of a thermoset, but with characteristics similar to expensive engineered thermoplastics. Read more >

Video: Physical Properties of RIM Thermosetting Plastics

Reaction Injection Molded (RIM) components feature a combination of unique physical properties not found in thermoplastics or metal. Incredible impact and corrosion resistance makes RIM-molded thermosetting resins like polyurethane and polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) an excellent choice for original equipment manufacturer’s (OEMs) whose equipment must withstand harsh conditions. RIM plastics excel in high temperature, highly corrosive, and extremely abrasive environments.

See the incredible performance of RIM plastics in our latest video and contact the plastics experts at Osborne to learn more about these outstanding materials or to request a sample.

Special COVID-19 Message from Osborne

Dear Customers, Suppliers, and Employee-Owners,

The novel Coronavirus, better known as COVID-19, has become a household word. Although we do not fully understand its future within our company nor the economy, we do understand and support those that are battling the virus on the front lines. Osborne is working to keep its business safe and steady to support any and all business as the many economies continue to re-open around the world. Read more >

A Guide to Fiber Reinforced Polymer Molding

Molded thermoset plastic products offer numerous advantages over other plastic molding processes, including outstanding structural rigidity and strength and lower tooling costs. The molding process is crucial to reap the rewards of these advantages, but the properties of the materials used, like fiber-reinforced polymer or fiberglass-reinforced plastics (FRP), are what make these finished parts a success. Read more >

Thermosetting Plastic vs Thermoplastic Applications

Comprehending the difference between thermoset vs thermoplastics, and which applications are suitable for each type, is often confused. Though thermoplastics and thermosets may seem similar, they actually have very different properties, and thus, industry applications. The differences between these two polymers are significant enough that understanding the behavior of each can ultimately help improve product designs and decisions.

Osborne Industries breaks down the differences between these two types of well-known polymers. Read more >

Plastic Design Guidelines for pDCPD

Plastic design guidelines are crucial for polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) molding because they allow for easier part moldability, reduce overall production time, and help to ensure the quality of a final product. We’ve outlined some fundamental guidelines you’ll want to consider when preparing pDCPD parts for reaction injection molding.
Read more >

RTM and RIM Material Selection for Industry Applications

Custom thermoset molding services range across a variety of industries, each with a unique set of materials and part specifications. Both the resin transfer molding (RTM) process and reaction injection molding (RIM) process offer specific capabilities that can be applied to virtually any project depending on the manufacturing needs, and they are often customized based on industry.

For example, a molded blower housing for a popular cotton harvester would need to be abrasion-resistant and a louver for the same machine must be impact-resistant, whereas a part for a tanning bed would not necessarily need these qualifiers because of how and where it is used.

Osborne Industries reviews how these processes can differ based on the industry for which they’re manufactured. Read more >