Dielectric Materials
Dielectric materials are an important part of custom die cut components for aerospace industry arsenals.
Dielectric materials are an important part of custom die cut components for aerospace industry arsenals. The purpose of dielectric material isn’t to conduct electricity, but to polarize it. Such material helps to block interference by channeling signals and preventing them from straying. Therefore, dielectric materials like the following examples are often used for capacitors and transmission lines:
- Plastic stock with adjusted dielectric constant. Plastic stock is used on a range of applications that necessitate adjusted dielectric constant. The material offers low-loss tangent, and it’s generally good for various components that are used daily in the aerospace industry. Certain variations of the material consist of high temperature-threshold plastic for more intense settings.
- Low dielectric constant, low-loss sheet stock. This material consists of a rigid syntactic foam that boasts a fine texture. With its strong physical properties, it’s easily applicable for CNC machining for aerospace industry components. The material is often used for antennas and coaxial support. Coils equipped with this material generally perform better.
- Low-loss polystyrene sheet and rod stock. This material is made of cross-linked polystyrene – a thermosetting plastic. As such, the material doesn’t melt in hot conditions. Polystyrene sheet is most often used for antenna insulators and microwave lenses, as well as for various parts along transmission lines and waveguides.
- Lightweight artificial dielectric material. Consisting of epoxy plastic resins, in addition to glass microspheres, artificial dielectric materials are used for various aerospace industry components. Examples of items on which the material is often applied include antenna parts, bars, cast plate and assorted aircraft parts
- Low dielectric constant, low-loss structural foam. This material is valued for its high compression quality, as well as for its pure strength. Structural foam of this nature has a low-loss factor, and it works as a thermal barrier and radio frequency window material, which makes the material a vital part of precision manufacturing for aerospace industry components.
- Flexible, low-loss foam. Consisting of closed-cell flexible foam sheets, this type of material is suited for applications that need dielectric substrates. Low-loss foam is commonly used for radio frequency transparent radomes because of the material’s weatherproof quality. In addition to its lack of water absorption, the crack-proof material is good at withstanding sunlight.
- Flexible, weatherproof low-signature plastic fabric. This material is made of nylon fabric and is covered with an elastomeric binder that resembles polychloroprene. As such, the material is sharp to the eye and easy to maintain. Thin, workable and water-resistant, the material can stand up to UV rays, and it also has solid mechanical properties.
- Rigid foam liquid polyurethane. This material originates from liquid resins, which expand into a solid polyurethane plastic foam that boasts solid electrical properties. The material is chiefly used for cavity filling in microwave components and other electronics, including waveguides. However, the material is moisture-sensitive, so it must be stored in sealed nitrogen purged containers.
- Lightweight syntactic foams. Syntactic foams of the lightweight variety are made for curing operations. The main purpose for such material is to stop resin from flowing into blocks that have already been cured. Additionally, the material is suited for parts that need to be encapsulated, because the thermal-shrinkage factor is minimal.
- Cyanate ester syntactic foams. Material of this variety is highly convenient for custom components in the aerospace industry, because it’s made in several variations, including uncured and cured sheet stock, which are molded into shape. With metallic fillers, the dielectric parameters of this material can even be adjusted for a broader range of options.
At China Custom Component, we strive to stay abreast of the material needs of the aerospace sector. In doing so, we constantly look for new ways to innovate in the implementation of custom components for aerospace industry products. Thankfully, the variety of dielectric materials that are currently available has provided the industry with numerous options on how to make components better.