Wet/Dry Light Requires PPS
Canadian Plastics
When choosing a material for its new high-output, compact landscape floodlight, Wesco Fountains Inc. found that only Ryton polyphenylene sulfide met all UL requirements and would provide the necessary...
When choosing a material for its new high-output, compact landscape floodlight, Wesco Fountains Inc. found that only Ryton polyphenylene sulfide met all UL requirements and would provide the necessary mechanical impact strength for dry and submersible applications.
Ryton, manufactured by Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem), is not affected by the corrosive effects of salt water, pool chemicals or hard water, and carries a 5VA Class fire rating. It is used for the lamp housing and screw-on retaining ring on Wesco’s WBD-100 lights.
Wesco’s designer, Ken Smith, needed a material that would meet strict UL guidelines, since the light would be used above ground and underwater. “Anytime you’re using electricity in or near water you must have materials and finished components that will never fail,” he says.
Smith and molder Midgard of Florida found that the favorable melt flow rate of Ryton PPS’s 40% glass-filled compound worked with the cam-actuated tooling to accurately form the male and female threads. The retaining ring holds a silicone “O” ring and protective tempered glass lens to the housing, making the light waterproof. “If we couldn’t get the assembly to seal tight, we wouldn’t have a product,” Smith says.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. 905-478-1213