Structural & Reinforced Thermoplastic Compounds

Impact Modified (IM) Compounds from RTP Company provide increased impact resistance at all temperatures when compared to unfilled compounds. This technology can also be used in tandem with other structural fillers to increase ductility in compounds that also need to retain their strength and stiffness.

Some advantages of IM Compounds are:

• Improved impact resistance
• Improved ductility
• Increased low temperature impact performance

Our IM Compounds are used in a large array of markets including sporting goods, industrial, outdoor recreation vehicles, automotive, consumer goods, and electronics.

Our Mineral Filled (MF) Compounds use minerals such as calcium carbonate, talc, and mica to provide a low cost filler option when price sensitivity is important to the end application success.  Our MF Compounds offer improvements over unfilled resins in properties such as:

• Dimensional stability
• Stiffness
• Cost effectiveness

Mineral Filled Compounds may be used in high volume, low cost applications such as appliances, automotive, and packaging. Conversely, they may be used to reduce costs of more expensive polymers.

When additional performance from a part is needed, Short Glass Fiber compounds from RTP Company offer improved strength and stiffness versus Mineral Filled Compounds. Short Glass Fiber Compounds can be individually formulated to end-use specifications and offer better mechanical properties than competing materials, including:

• Tensile and flexural strength and stiffness
• Short-term temperature (HDT) performance
• Long-term creep resistance

Short Glass Fiber Compounds are available in both commodity and engineering resin systems and are widely used by many markets, including automotive, healthcare, consumer goods and more.

Our Light and Tough (LT) Compounds reduce density and maintain mechanical performance compared to Short Glass Fiber reinforced systems. These LT Compounds introduce hollow glass spheres and weigh up to 10% less than typical reinforced compounds, while targeting equivalent mechanical properties and similar shrinkage values.

Some advantages that our LT Series Compounds have over GF Compounds are:

• Up to 10% weight reduction while maintaining similar mechanical properties
• No chemical foaming agents
• Aesthetic parts still achievable vs. chemical foaming

Unlike chemical foaming agents, this technology is not dependent on wall thickness and can often be used as a drop-in solution with existing SG Compound tooling.

These compounds are best used as lightweight alternatives when the goal is to minimize energy consumption or the amount of human effort required to use the part.

Our Enhanced Performance compounds include the eXtra Performance (XP) Series and Ultra Performance (UP) Compounds.

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The eXtra Performance (XP) Series consists of glass fiber reinforced Polypropylene (GF PP) compounds that are formulated for a higher level of performance; they effectively serve as a bridge between standard Short Glass Fiber Compounds and Very Long Fiber (VLF) Compounds, with benefits such as:

• Increased modulus and impact performance than standard GF PP Compounds
• High strength and stiffness, similar to VLF Compounds
• More cost effective than VLF Compounds

Other additive technologies may be incorporated to create robust compounds that are engineered to meet extremely demanding requirements such as heat aging, impact performance, flame retardance, ultra violet protection, or compliance with government agency approvals.

XP Compounds are easily injection molded and available worldwide, making them perfect for any industrial application that may require lightweight performance. Some of the markets that benefit from XP Compounds include automotive, industrial housing, and consumer goods.

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Ultra Performance (UP) Compounds are reinforced high temperature polymers that bring similar enhancements and offer a competitive alternative to aluminum, zinc, and magnesium die cast as well as thermoset composites. For more information on Ultra Performance Compounds, view our innovation bulletin:

Our Very Long Fiber (VLF) Compounds achieve the highest impact performance when compared with reinforced thermoplastic materials in the industry. They are made using a proprietary pultrusion process to create long pellets (11mm) with long fibers inside – the same length as the pellet. When molded, they create an internal skeleton of these fibers which significantly increases impact resistance while also improving strength and stiffness.

VLF compounds are the go-to technology for metal replacement, making them a top choice for automotive and industrial applications because they:

• have high resistance to impact compared to other reinforcing fibers
• are a lightweight and functional alternative to die cast metals
• maintain performance at extreme high and low temperatures
• may improve dimensional accuracy and improve warpage over Short Glass Fiber Compounds

Our VLF Compounds come in a number of resin systems, including a Nylon series and a Polypropylene series that can be efficiently injection molded into complex shapes without expensive finishing costs.

Carbon Fiber (CF) Compounds are formulated to be lighter, stiffer, and stronger than traditional glass-filled compounds, allowing for more design freedom and flexibility. CF Compounds from RTP Company provide an excellent alternative to aluminum, die cast zinc, and other metals, as they can maintain similar properties with 60 to 80% weight reduction.

Carbon Fiber Compounds provide benefits such as:

• Lower density than Glass Fiber Compounds and metals
• Highest strength and stiffness of all reinforced compounds
• Process-able on standard injection molding equipment

Our Carbon Fiber Compounds are globally available and can be used in the same base polymers as Glass Fiber Compounds. They can be loaded with up to 50% carbon fiber, offering solutions for many markets including aerospace, automotive, consumer, energy, and industrial.

High Gravity Compounds from RTP Company combine the processing benefits of thermoplastics with desirable features of metals. You can choose the exact density necessary (up to 11 g/cm³) to make your design perform as you imagined it. While formulating your custom compound, RTP Company’s engineers can often add molded-in, custom color to allow easy identification of your product without expensive secondary painting processes.

High Gravity Compounds offer:

• the ability to control the center of gravity by adjusting mass
• an “expensive feel” by adding heft
• sound and vibration dampening
• resistance to chemicals and corrosion

Some common industries that benefit from High Gravity Compounds are cosmetics, sporting goods, military, automotive, and packaging.

Low Gravity Compounds are Gravity modified compounds designed to reduce the weight of parts of any geometry with achievable densities as low as 0.70 g/cm³ without the use of chemical foaming agents.

The advantages of our Low Gravity Compounds are:

• Up to 30% weight reduction
• Improved surface appearance vs. chemical foaming
• No concerns with wall thickness

Industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, and cosmetic packaging all benefit from Low Gravity Compounds from RTP Company.

RTP Company’s patented Controlled Geometry Pellets are small, shape-defined pellets that are used to improve your compression molding process, productivity, and performance.

Advantages of our CGP Compounds include:

• Improved mechanical properties vs. traditional powder blends
• Best packing of standard compression molding materials
• No blending steps or dust issues

For more details, view or download our innovation bulletin.