Microwave Solutions: Process Solutions
Brand Expertise: POLYFLON
Microwave Solutions: Process Solutions
Brand Expertise: POLYFLON
Click the product name to learn more.
_2.jpg)
Electroplated PTFE withstands continuous, short-term temperatures up to 225° C without damage to the plated material, dielectric, or the bond between them. Electroplated PTFE also performs well at low temperatures, even under cryogenic conditions. The combination of pure PTFE and Polyflon’s proprietary plating process produces materials well suited for applications such as printed circuit boards, antennas, radomes, capacitors, and surface/volume coils for NMR/MRI systems.
Polyflon has expanded its electroplating offering over the last 25 years to include dielectric materials such as:
- Teflon / PTFE
- Paper-Based Phenolic
- Polyethylenimine (PEI)
- Polychlorotrifluoroethene (PCTFE)
- Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)
- Polycarbonate
- Rexolite
- Laird ECCOSTOCK
Polyflon offers plating of various metals including oxygen-free hard copper (OFHC), nickel, silver, hard and soft gold, and immersion /electrolytic tin. Copper plating thickness ranges from 1/8 oz./ft2 (0.175 mil) to 16 oz./ft2 (22.4 mil) with a typical minimum of 1 oz./ft2 (1.4 mil) for plated-through holes.
Precision machined parts and assemblies for customers across medical, electronics and aerospace industries. Where Non-magnetic brass hardware or components are required for NMR/MRI equipment, we screen the low level permeability to ensure we meet the exacting requirements of the medical industry.
Materials supported include: (but not limited to)
- PTFE and blends
- Delrin and other acetals
- Nylon
- Polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE)
- Rexolite
- Bakelite/Phenolic
- Kynar
- Brass
- Copper
Polyflon offers extensive knowledge in fabricating of Single-Sided and Double-Sided PCB as well as complex microwave PTFE and Mixed Dielectric Multilayer Printed Circuit Boards. Virtually any size circuit can be processed, from the smallest millimeter wave design to large antenna arrays up to 60” long. Highly skilled personnel are available to assist customers in meeting a tight deadline for a single circuit-board prototype, or support high volume production runs. Polyflon can provide start-to-finish services, from review of initial design through final machining, or any number of steps in the process.
Polyflon specializes in manufacturing high performance laminates and substrates including but not limited to:
- CuFlon® – pure PTFE Substrates
- Woven, Non-Woven, and other PTFE based substrates
- Polyimide and polyester films
- Rigid ground plane constructions incorporating copper, aluminum, or brass back plates
About Polyflon
Polyflon® is a leading supplier of superior RF/Microwave laminates, capacitors, and specialty components serving the commercial, medical and military markets. Located in West Caldwell, NJ, Polyflon is dedicated to achieving technical excellence with a primary focus on the customer’s needs.
Polyflon has gained an impressive reputation for its ability to manufacture microwave laminates and substrate materials with superior properties. This capability, along with its now decades-long experience in electroplating and plastics fabrication, has made Polyflon an innovator in commercial, scientific, industrial, medical and space industries throughout the world.
Polyflon acquired the process from S.W. Farber, and began electroplating PTFE of all shapes and sizes. Given the superior dielectric properties of PTFE, it was quickly found that an ideal market would be in RF and microwave components. One of Polyflon’s first products using PTFE was a custom built capacitor employed in large U.S. Navy shipboard radar program. Using this plating capability, Polyflon began marketing a product line called PolyPlate, an array of PTFE shapes plated with copper.
As the marketplace became aware of Polyflon’s unique capabilities, they quickly received large contracts from companies such as Western Electric for a 0.25-in-thick distribution board used in the first cell site towers and from programs such as Over-the-Horizon radar for which Polyflon supplied custom-built, fixed-value capacitors. Polyflon’s products allowed RF and microwave engineers to develop designs that significantly outperformed their competition.
In 1985, Polyflon was acquired by Crane Co., a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products with over 11,000 employees working together across 26 countries.
With the desire to expand to other dielectric materials, Polyflon acquired the rights to a technology for laminating irradiated HDPE from the Canadian company Shawinigan Research and Technology (SRT) in 1994. The product line is called POLYGUIDE®.
Other products including NorCLAD® followed by which time Polyflon had gained an impressive reputation for its ability to manufacture microwave laminates and substrate materials with superior properties. This capability, along with its now decades-long experience in electroplating and plastics fabrication, made Polyflon an innovator in commercial, scientific, industrial, medical and space industries throughout the world.