LCP’s good flow properties suit long, thin part

The Fibertec tripod, designed by Vinten Broadcast Ltd. for professional-quality video cameras, uses rack strips made of Vectra liquid crystal polymer (LCP) in each leg to help form a stable platform. The LCP, made by Ticona, gives the two-part strips a high degree of stiffness and dimensional stability.

Vinten chose Vectra LCP for these long and complex components over a number of other polymers, including polyarylate and polyetheretherketone. The LCP was the only resin evaluated that had sufficient flow to mold the rack strips at a reasonable injection pressure. The other materials called for pressures that were close to or above the upper limit of the processing window for normal injection molding.

The LCP has to flow easily to fill each 510-mm long rack strip, which has teeth with wall sections as thin as 2 mm. The strips have an overall cross section of 5 x 6 mm.

The rack strips provide a positive positional lock for the tripod, and must retain their rigidity from -40 to 60C.

Ticona 800-833-4882