Polyimide Film Is Utilized Throughout Industry

By Dawn Williams


For many people the mention of polyimide film is met with a blank look. Yet it might surprise these people to find out how extensively its used in the modern world today. Thanks to the properties possessed by this material it has proved to be extremely useful. They are lightweight, very flexible and resistant to both heat and chemicals.

Modern electronics makes great use of this material due to some of these properties. For those still unconvinced, a prime example is the main cable of a laptop computer, the one which connects the body and the screen. Normal cabling would soon fail due to constant opening and closing of the laptop, so a more flexible solution was required.

If ever you see a laptop laid open, this flexible cable is very easy to spot. The metal tracks will be noticeable through an amber colored plastic sheet. It is this amber colored sheet that is the material in question.

The metallic tracks will be firmly fixed to the sheet by an adhesive. Due to the insulating properties of the sheeting its even possible to have tracks running either side of the sheet, but further insulation will be required to prevent any possible shorting between the tracks and the case. Other uses in the electronics world also includes masking areas of circuit boards, also providing insulation to such devices as capacitors and transistors.

This material is possibly best known for its resistance to high temperatures. Consequently an ideal area to make use of this sheeting will be anywhere which gets subjected to constant heat. As a material this will continue to function properly in temperatures in excess of 400 degrees Celsius.

Normally when a material is subjected to such heat it will degrade. It would either begin to contract, or to stretch. Whichever scenario happens the material would no longer be fit for the purpose that it was originally intended. Fortunately this sheeting will survive these temperatures with no ill effects. The only noticeable difference will be that sheeting which is in use, and subject to high temperatures, will appear darker.

Initially this material was mainly used within the military and defense based industries. As it as become more widely available it has been used in many more applications. These can range from modern electronics right up to the space industry.

Engines are a prime example, as they operate they become hot. Engines can be found throughout the vehicle industries, aviation industries and even space flight. The sheeting is highly resistant to heat, and so will not conduct heat from one side to the other. Therefore it is ideal if something needs to be protected from conducted heat, such as engine cables. If these cables were unprotected the normal insulation could degrade over time and lead to other potential problems.

Another property that this polyimide film demonstrates is that it is extremely hard wearing. This will mean that there will be less necessity to constantly replace these items, and in turn this will lead to cost savings. So it really does make sense for industries to make even more use of this material.




About the Author: