Thermally conductive polymer compostions to reduce molding cycle time

Abstract

A thermally conductive polymer composition comprising (1) a polymer material, and (2) a thermally conductive filler. The thermally conductive filler can be boron nitride. The thermally conductive polymer composition can be used in a molding operation to form a molded article and can reduce the molding cycle time of a molding process. In one embodiment, increasing the thermal conductivity of a polymer material (as compared to the thermal conductivity of the material in the absence of a thermally conductive filler) increases the thermal diffusivity and reduces the cooling time of the article. The present invention also provides methods of forming molded articles from such compositions.

Description

[0001] References to related applications [0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 625,289, entitled "Thermally Conductive Polymer Compositions for Reduced Molding Cycle Time," filed April 17, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . technical field [0003] The present invention relates to thermally conductive polymer compositions for use in molding operations and molding methods employing such compositions. Background technique [0004] The process of forming an article by shaping involves filling a mold defining a cavity of a selected shape with a suitable material and setting the material in the mold to form and maintain the final shape of the article. The nature of how the material is shaped will depend on the material employed. For thermoplastic materials, the setting is accomplished by cooling or freezing of the material. For thermoset materials, the setting includes curing or crossl...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, cycle time is limited by the time required to heat the material to the desired temperature and freeze / crosslink in the mold and assume the final desired shape