If you work with mechanics or transportation technologies, Vespel is a material that you will surely come across. Whenever you use this or want to use something that contains Vespel, you will see that it’s pretty expensive.
So, you end up wondering why Vespel is so costly?
That’s what I will be answering here today. I will tell you everything you need to know about Vespel and explain why Vespel is such an expensive material to use. Let’s get going with it, then.
Why Is The Price of Vespel So High?
Now, let’s talk about why you must pay so much for Vespel material. Also, is it worth it?
Well, there are several reasons for Vespel material to be so expensive. I will list some of the factors responsible for making Vespel so expensive. Let’s get through the factors one by one.
- Usable In Extreme Heat Conditions
One of the main reasons Vespel is so expensive is its tolerance for extreme heat conditions.
Anything you make out of Vespel will easily get through extremely high or extremely low heat conditions.
Yes, it’s not just about the high heat conditions only with this material.
You can even take these materials to the lowest temperatures, which should work fine. There aren’t too many materials to get to this level of extremities.
- Great Durability Yet Lightweight
Vespel is an excellent option as a core material because of its durability and sturdiness. I mean, you can use the material for aeronautical engineering, so there is no way to compromise on the heavy-duty factor of the material.
Adding to that durability factor comes the lightweight nature as well. Usually, you don’t get durability and lightweight in the same material.
But with this one, you have both of them in the same. Because of this perfect combination, the material works great for aerospace engineering and similar applications.
That’s why it’s pretty expensive because you can’t find lightweight materials with this kind of durability.
- High Purity Percentage
What makes a material expensive is its purity of it. Suppose a material contains the core material solely. As a result, you get all the benefits from the material. Vespel doesn’t contain any mixture or doesn’t have any contamination in them.
So, when you use the material, you don’t need to worry about any impurities.
You can find a variety of materials in Vespel, but none impact the core value of the material. The originality and authenticity of Vespel are intact all the way through, so you will never have trouble with that.
- It Comes With Good Resistance
You can rely on this material to work under conditions that involve chemicals, electronics, thermal applications, and wear. Vespel is resistant to these adversities, and you can use them in all scenarios.
Whether you are working with chemicals or your work involves a lot of electricity, the material is safe to use. You won’t have to worry about damaging the material in some way.
Typically, these features or advantages differentiate Vespel from other materials. Because of this uniqueness, the material costs much more than other materials you use in general.
About Vespel
You can consider Vespel as a type of plastic. To be very specific, it’s a polyimide plastic. It’s usable in high heat conditions for various projects.
Mostly, people use this material in their engineering projects. So, if you are an engineer, you will surely come across the material at some point.
One of the best applications of the material is when you have to work around high heat. Projects in NASA and other thermodynamic purposes involving engineering provide good material use.
The material can serve continuously without stopping quickly. It makes the material great for use on machines that need to run for a more extended period.
That’s the essential information you should know about Vespel. But when it comes to getting the actual value, you will need to understand what Vespel offers.
Negatives With Vespel?
To know whether the expense with Vespel is worth it or not, you will need to know about its negatives of it. Learning about the negatives will give you a view of what is wrong with Vespel.
So, you can decide if it’s truly something you will work with or not.
- Processing of Vespel is quite expensive. You will have a difficult time processing the material. You can’t make injection mold the material, so it’s something you have to work around a lot to get the processing right.
- You can’t find the material everywhere. You must look for the material to get your hands on them.
Typically, these are the issues you may come with the Vespel material when you try to use it. Whether they make the cost worthwhile for you or not is entirely up to your preferences.
Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
No, Vespel is very different from Teflon. However, Vespel does contain a bit of Teflon in them.
Most of the time, people use Vespel for aerospace, semiconductor, and various transportation technologies.
Vespel is a type of thermoplastic material that you can replace with metal. It’s lightweight and durable at the same time.
Vespel is a Polyimide type of plastic that has good rigidity. At the same time, they are pretty lightweight.
Conclusion
In summary, you now know why Vespel is so expensive. Are these reasons enough? Well, you won’t realize it until you use it. Given the material’s purpose, they are worth the high price.
Because the application of Vespel goes into making aerospace items, along with semiconductors, these are items that are very crucial for the machines to work, and they need reliability above everything else.
So, the reliability factor of Vespel is something that makes them worth the price.
