Polyimide Films For Your Next High-Tech Application
Polyimide has become an industry-standard material for high-tech applications in the field of aerospace, aviation, electronics, and even medical.
The electronics industry uses polyimide films to insulate flexible cables and cover magnets. Similarly, hospitals and surgeons use optical fibers, venous grafts, and artery stents coated with thin films of polyimide which are safe to introduce into the human body and offer excellent structural support.
What has allowed polyimide to replace conventional materials such as glass, metals, and even steel are the superior mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties that make it a high-performance polymer.
When subjected to temperatures as high as 500 degrees C, polyimide shows remarkable thermal stability, making it a suitable material for applications that must deal with a large range of temperatures. At the same time, it is resistant to most chemical solvents and has a high degree of mechanical strength at very low thicknesses.
Precision manufacturing
At Tech Etch, we primarily use Dupont KAPTON ® polyimide films available in .001”, .002”, .003”, and .005” thicknesses. Components such as washers, screens, gaskets, flexible circuits, and insulated conductors can be manufactured with high precision through the use of our photo etching process as well as our laser cutting, stamping, and plasma etching capabilities.
As a result, Tech Etch has been producing precision polyimide parts that are used in applications such as heart pacemakers, computer disk drives, military night vision equipment, fuel cell flow field plates, cataract lens replacement surgery, and many others.
Polyimide IOL Haptics
Let’s take a closer look at a product that our team has specialized in and has been producing since 1978: photo-etched precision haptics for intraocular lenses (IOLs) that are used in cataract surgery.
IOLs are used to replace the piece of lens extracted from the eye to remove a cataract. These consist of two parts that are integrally formed together: an optic, which acts as the direct replacement for the natural lens, and a haptic, which provides structural support to keep the lens in place.
Tech Etch has been producing polyimide-based haptics for such IOLs through photo etching. The use of polyimide instead of materials like polypropylene and PMMA brings several benefits to IOL haptics:
- 3-piece IOLs can be produced that are thinner and offer better positioning and support as compared to single-piece IOLs
- Better tensile strength and flexibility
- Superior shape memory which improves the positioning of the optic lens
- Enhanced anchoring of the IOL after implantation by the promotion of fibrosis in the surrounding tissue
Along with their application for IOL Haptics, photo-etched polyimide films are becoming increasingly popular in other areas of surgery due to their inert nature and excellent mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties.
As one of the largest chemical etching companies in the world, Tech Etch is committed to providing its customers with precision products that are unparalleled in quality. If you require our services for producing your custom photo-etched polyimide parts, do not hesitate to reach out to us for a quote.