Vespel

Vespel is a registered trademark of DuPont, which they used for plastics that are designed for extreme thermal, electrical and mechanical loads. The material listed below Vespel is the polyimide, which was sold as the first under this name.

The material may be in a temperature range between absolute zero and at short notice to more than 400 ° C. Vespel has no melting point and no detectable glass transition temperature.

Vespel is radiation resistant and low outgassing, so that it can be used in the radioactive environment and under high vacuum. The thermal and electrical conductivity is very low. For a plastic Vespel has a relatively low thermal expansion coefficient, as well as a good dimensional stability and, therefore, enables the production of components with tight tolerances. The parts are wear-resistant and can also be used in non-lubricated environment.

By the addition of, for example, graphite or polytetrafluoroethylene the properties of Vespel can be selectively altered.