Structural metal-plated polymer technology

The metal-plated polymer is designed to raise fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by enabling the cost-effective manufacture of lightweight parts for transportation applications. Under development for several years, Integran's nanometal-polymer hybrid-core technology is protected by a number of patent filings. The most recent patent covers lightweight metal-coated polymer oil pans that reportedly exhibit high impact-resistance. Integran Program Manager Dr. Nanda Nagarajan said that customers can now also take advantage of Integran's ability to apply strong, highly adherent, nanometals to a broad range of high performance thermoplastics, such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyetherimide (PEI), polyamide (PA) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK), along with other traditional platable polymers. The new structural plating-on-polymer technology can be used to replace a variety of heavier all-metal components while providing superior wear- and impact-resistance in land, sea and air transportation applications. www.integran.com