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The pyramid of polymer materials: the application of polyimide (PI) extruded cable

The application of polyimide PI, the top polymer material, and the story of human landing on the moon

600V PI high temperature resistant cable

Manufacturer TST CABLES reveals the characteristics, advantages and applications of polyimide extruded PI cable, the top polymer material.

In the early morning of December 8, 2018, the Chang’e-4 probe was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This time, Chang’e-4 successfully brought the national flag to the back of the moon, marking the space with the “Chinese logo”. It is reported that the national flag of this probe is not made of common chemical fiber fabrics, silk, cotton and other textiles. It is well known that the space environment is very special. There is no atmosphere on the surface of the moon. It is a vacuum state. When exposed to sunlight, the maximum temperature on the surface of the moon during the day can reach 123°C. At night, outside the lunar module, the temperature on the moon will drop sharply to minus 233°C.

Such an extreme temperature difference is difficult for ordinary materials to withstand, and the ultraviolet rays generated by the sun are very strong. There are also radiation effects of cosmic rays and high-energy particles, which have a strong destructive effect on materials.

The national flag flying on the moon is made of PI organic polymer film material, which is completely different from the common national flag. It can withstand the harsh lunar surface environment, does not fade, and does not deform. What are the special advantages of PI material that makes it unique among polymer materials? Friends who are interested in PI materials can learn more about it with TST CABLES.

Introduction to polyimide (PI)

Recently, countries have listed the research, development and utilization of PI as one of the development priorities of new chemical materials in the 21st century. PI has great application prospects as a structural material or a functional material due to its outstanding characteristics in performance and synthesis.

Polyimide (PI cable) is known as the top material of the polymer material pyramid, and is also known as a “problem solver”. Some industry insiders even believe that “without PI, there would be no microelectronics technology today”.

Polyimide (PI) is an aromatic heterocyclic polymer compound with an imide chain link in its molecular structure. It is one of the best heat-resistant varieties of engineering plastics. PI has very excellent performance and is widely used in complex application scenarios such as aerospace, mechanical chemical industry, national defense and military industry. PI has the highest flame retardant grade (UL-94), good electrical insulation performance, mechanical properties, chemical stability, aging resistance, radiation resistance, and low dielectric loss. These properties will not change significantly in a wide temperature range (-269℃~400℃), so it is widely used in flexible screens, rail transportation, aerospace, fire retardant, photoresist, electronic packaging, fan blades, automobiles, weapons and equipment and many other fields.

Market prospects of polyimide (PI)

According to relevant data statistics, the global aviation manufacturing industry market size continues to increase, and the current global market size has exceeded one trillion US dollars.

The scale of China’s commercial aerospace market has been growing year by year. From 2015 to 2020, the output value has exceeded 376.42 billion yuan to 1 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 22%. It is expected that the market size will reach 233.82 billion yuan in 2024. Relevant institutions predict that the global commercial aviation equipment market will grow by 3.7% in the next five years, and by 2027, the global aviation equipment market will reach 117.69 billion US dollars.

Overview of polyimide (PI) cable

Definition: Polyimide cable refers to a cable that uses polyimide as an insulating material.
Features: It has excellent high temperature resistance, good electrical properties and chemical stability, and is suitable for high temperature environments and special applications.
Standards: Common polyimide cable standards include UL1330, UL1331, etc. These standards specify the electrical properties, mechanical properties and combustion properties of cables.

Classification and application of polyimide (PI) materials

Due to its excellent performance, polyimide (PI) materials can be applied to a variety of fields and can also be divided into a variety of types, including engineering plastics, fibers, photosensitive PI, foam materials, coatings, adhesives, films, aerogels, composite materials, etc.

350℃ 500v Fire Resistance Wire High-temperature cable

Among the many polymers, polyimide (PI) is the only polymer with a wide range of applications and shows outstanding performance in every application field.

In addition, with the gradual maturity of the carbon fiber industry, the demand for carbon fiber reinforced composite materials has increased significantly. The combination of polyimide and carbon fiber, as one of the most excellent composite material combinations, has obvious advantages in seizing the high-end market.

Polyimide (PI) covers almost all types of polymer materials, including high-performance films, engineering plastics, foam plastics, chemical fibers, adhesives, resin matrices, insulating materials, functional materials, composite materials, etc.

Based on this, TST CABLES specially organizes the characteristics of polyimide materials and related application directions in various fields, and will introduce polyimide cables in detail from multiple angles.

PI magnet wire flat wire (extrusion type)

“PI magnet wire flat wire” usually refers to a special PI wire used for winding electrical equipment such as motors and transformers. Here, “PI” stands for “Polyimide”, which is a high-performance thermosetting plastic known for its excellent heat resistance and electrical insulation properties. Magnet wire refers to the wire used to wind the coils in motors, transformers and other electromagnetic devices, and flat wire refers to the cross-sectional shape of this wire being flat rather than the traditional round shape.

Flat magnet wire has several advantages over round wire:

High space utilization: Flat wires can be arranged closely, reducing the gaps between coils, thereby improving the effective space utilization of motors or transformers.
Good heat dissipation performance: Since flat wires have a large contact area, they help improve heat dissipation efficiency.
Uniform current density: Flat wires can make current distribution more uniform, reduce the impact of skin effect, and thus improve efficiency.

8 advantages of polyimide (PI) extruded cables

50-220℃ PI shielded cable 300V 600V
High temperature resistance: Polyimide cables can work stably in high temperature environments, with a maximum operating temperature of 250°C to 265°C.
Chemical stability: Good tolerance to a variety of chemicals, suitable for chemical industrial environments.
Low smoke and halogen-free: Low smoke production during combustion, and does not contain halogen compounds, which is friendly to human health and the environment.
Flame retardant: Has good flame retardant properties and is suitable for applications requiring flame retardant properties.
Flexibility: Even under low temperature conditions, polyimide cables can still maintain good flexibility, easy to bend and install.
Scratch resistance: Polyimide extruded wire has better scratch resistance than polyimide wrapped wire, which can effectively prevent damage to the outer skin of the wire and extend the service life of the wire.
Super strong adhesion: Polyimide extruded wire has super strong insulation adhesion due to its special process advantages. This not only has a strong stability for signal transmission, but also does not cause “shrinkage” at the joint, ensuring the safe operation of the device.
Low dielectric loss: For some medical devices that need to transmit high-frequency signals, low dielectric loss is very important. Polyimide extrusion wire has a lower dielectric constant and lower dielectric loss, which ensures the accuracy and stability of signal transmission and reduces signal attenuation and interference.

Comparison of scratch resistance test of new extruded PI cable and wrapped PI cable

TST CABLES R&D engineers used extruded PI wire and wrapped PI wire in the laboratory to conduct scratch resistance test comparison under the same conditions. The data are as follows:

Category	Conductor diameter mm	Finished product outer diameter mm	Insulation thickness mm	Scratch resistance (10N)
PI CABLE Wrapping wire	0.50	0.97	0.235	178
PI CABLE Extrusion wire	0.40	0.60	0.100	5100

From the above scratch resistance results, it can be clearly seen that the surface of extruded polyimide wire is very smooth and has high scratch resistance. The experimental results show that extruded PI cable has a longer service life than wrapped PI cable, is wear-resistant, scratch-resistant, tensile-resistant, and has more stable electrical performance.

Comparison of withstand voltage test data of new extruded PI cable and wrapped polyimide cable

Category	Conductor diameter mm	Finished product outer diameter mm	Insulation thickness mm	Withstand voltage Kv	Insulation resistance MΩ/Km
PI CABLE Wrapping wire	0.50	0.97	0.235	10.0	2332
PI CABLE Extrusion wire	0.40	0.60	0.10	12.0	10800

From the above experimental data, it can be seen that when the insulation thickness is more than doubled, the withstand voltage of the extruded cable will still be much higher; the insulation resistance value is also several times higher. It can be seen that the withstand voltage strength of the extruded PI cable is stronger and more stable than that of the wrapped PI cable.

With the continuous advancement of materials science, polyimide materials that can be used for injection molding have been born. On this basis, TST CABLES cable engineers have developed polyimide insulated cables that can be extruded after repeated process tests and improvements.

The advent of TST CABLES extruded polyimide cable overcomes the fatal defects of wrapped polyimide film cable, improves the continuity and airtightness of polyimide insulation, improves the electrical performance and mechanical strength of the product, and improves its chemical corrosion resistance.

Application fields of polyimide (PI) extruded cable

Aerospace field:

Application: Polyimide cables are widely used in wires and cables inside aircraft and spacecraft.
Advantages: Excellent high temperature resistance and chemical stability, suitable for environments with extreme temperature changes.

Automotive manufacturing industry:

Application: Polyimide cables are used for wires and cables in automobile engine compartments, such as sensor connecting wires.
Advantages: Good high temperature resistance and chemical resistance, able to work stably under extreme conditions.

Medical equipment:

Application: Polyimide cables are used for wires and cables in medical equipment, such as monitoring equipment and therapeutic instruments.
Advantages: Low smoke and halogen-free cable characteristics, suitable for medical environments that require high safety.

Laboratory equipment:

Application: Polyimide cables are used for wires and cables in laboratory equipment, such as high-temperature experimental furnaces.
Advantages: Excellent high temperature resistance and chemical stability, suitable for experimental environments that require precise control.

Industrial Automation:

Application: Polyimide cables are widely used for signal transmission and power supply of industrial automation equipment.
Advantages: Excellent high temperature resistance and chemical stability, suitable for harsh environments.

Heating Equipment:

Application: Polyimide cables are used for wires and cables in high temperature environments such as heating equipment and ovens.
Advantages: Good high temperature resistance and flexibility, suitable for applications that require frequent bending.

Technical parameters of polyimide PI extruded cable

PI extruded cable material has excellent thermal stability and can be used for a long time in the temperature range of -269~260℃. The short-term use temperature is 400~450℃, and the decomposition temperature is generally around 500℃. It has good mechanical properties. The tensile strength of the homophenyl PI film is 250MPa, and the tensile strength of the biphenyl PI film is 530MPa. It has a low thermal expansion coefficient, which is generally (2~3)×10-5/℃; the biphenyl type can reach 10-6/℃. It has good dielectric properties, and its dielectric constant is generally around 3.4, the dielectric strength is 100~300kV/mm, the volume resistivity is 1017Ω·cm, and the dielectric loss is 10-3.

Extruded PI cable product recommendation:

600V PI high temperature resistant low smoke halogen free corrosion resistant shielded cable

Long-term temperature resistance: -50-220℃
Withstand voltage level: 300V 600V
Gamma ray resistance: >850KGy, can be used for a long time.
Low smoke halogen free flame retardant

Polyimide (PI) cable combustion performance:

Flame retardant level: According to different standards, polyimide cables may have different flame retardant levels, such as VW-1, FT1, etc.
Burning test: vertical burning test, horizontal burning test, etc.

Polyimide (PI) cable standards and tests

UL1330: Suitable for wires and cables in high temperature environments, with a maximum operating temperature of up to 250°C.
UL1331: Suitable for wires and cables in high temperature environments, with a maximum operating temperature of up to 265°C.
Other certifications: CE, TUV, CSA, etc.

Polyimide (PI) cable test items

Electrical performance test: including conductor resistance test, withstand voltage test, insulation resistance test, etc.
Combustion performance test: including vertical combustion test, horizontal combustion test, etc., to ensure that the cable has good flame retardant properties.
Physical performance test: including tensile test and tensile test before and after aging, to evaluate the mechanical strength and durability of the cable.
Environmental adaptability test: including high and low temperature resistance test, chemical corrosion resistance test, etc., to ensure the performance and safety of the cable under different environmental conditions.

The above introduction is some of the characteristics and applications of conventional ordinary polyimide (PI) cables. After thousands of material selection, research and development, and testing, TST CABLES has innovated on the basis of ordinary PI materials and developed a new type of extruded polyimide (PI) cable, whose key performance exceeds that of ordinary polyimide (PI) cables by nearly twenty times. The following is a comparison of the test performance of extruded polyimide (PI) cables and ordinary wrapped polyimide (PI) cables. For users who pursue high-quality polyimide (PI) cable performance, this is a great advancement and transcendence in cable technology. In this era full of opportunities, only by continuous innovation, courage to try, and breaking boundaries can we continue to grow.

TST CABLES High-Performance Extruded Polyimide (PI) Cable - Extreme Heat Resistance, Excellent Performance

TST CABLES extruded polyimide wire has shown unique advantages among many cable products due to its unique process advantages. In particular, its remarkable surface smoothness, compared with traditional wrapped polyimide wire, the surface smoothness and wear resistance of extruded polyimide wire are better.

PI LSZH cable high and low temperature cable -50-220℃

While pursuing excellent performance, we are well aware of the importance of power safety. Extruded polyimide cable is designed for harsh environments to ensure that every inchCables can withstand the test of time and environment. Whether in busy industrial automation control systems or in the aerospace field with extreme temperature changes, TST CABLES extruded polyimide cables can provide stable electrical connections, allowing every task of mechanical equipment to be completed smoothly.

TST CABLES’s PI cables are made of high-quality polyimide materials. They not only have excellent high temperature resistance and chemical stability, but also can resist the corrosion of a variety of chemicals, ensuring excellent performance in complex environments. From sophisticated manufacturing processes to strict quality control, every step is designed to bring you safe, reliable and efficient electrical connection solutions.

If you have customized extruded polyimide (PI) cables, UL cables, Teflon wires, armored wires, industrial cables, power cables, control cables and other products, and need further technical support or cable solutions, you can visit the TST CABLES official website, or you can send an email to the professional cable engineer of TST cable manufacturers at any time(Email: lixiangchao@testeck.com, please state your country, your industry, and your needs in the email, and we can also provide you with free samples).