Torlon® polyamide-imide holds the highest strength and stiffness of any melt-processable thermoplastic in continuous service up to 260°C (500°F). Emco stocks, machines, and fabricates Torlon® PAI shapes and precision parts for the applications where failure isn't an option.
Torlon® is Solvay's family of polyamide-imide resins, a material that combines the mechanical and thermal performance of a thermoset polyimide with the melt-processability of a thermoplastic. The result is a resin that can be injection molded, extruded, or machined from stock shapes, then oven-cured to reach its full strength.
Torlon® parts routinely replace metal in high-load, high-temperature assemblies: it holds tight tolerances under sustained compressive stress, resists creep at temperatures that soften most engineering plastics, and keeps a low coefficient of thermal expansion that Emco's glass- and carbon-filled grades bring even closer to aluminum and steel.
Because Torlon® is amorphous and unusually resistant to wear, fuels, and hydraulic fluids, it shows up in the parts nobody wants to service twice: bearings, seal rings, valve seats, and structural components running in aerospace, semiconductor, and oil & gas equipment.
Continuous-use temperature is usually the first thing that rules a material in or out. Torlon® PAI runs hotter, longer, than the engineering thermoplastics it's most often compared against.
Baseline numbers for the unreinforced electrical grade. Wear-resistant, glass-filled, and carbon-filled grades shift several of these. See the grade guide below.
Torlon® is a family, not a single material. Emco stocks and machines the grades below, each one tuned for a different failure mode.
| GRADE | TYPE | BEST FOR | TENSILE STRENGTH | FLEXURAL MODULUS | CLTE (×10⁻⁵ /°F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4203 / 4203L | Unfilled, electrical | Connectors, insulators, structural parts needing dielectric strength & impact resistance | 20,000 psi / 138 MPa | 600,000 psi / 4.1 GPa | 1.7 |
| 4301 | Bearing grade | Thrust washers, bushings, seal rings; low friction, minimal stick-slip | 12,000 psi / 83 MPa | 800,000 psi / 5.5 GPa | 1.4 |
| 4630 / 4645 | PTFE/graphite or PTFE/carbon-fiber filled | Non-lubricated and lubricated wear parts: cams, clutch rollers, sliding vanes | N/A | Grade-dependent | Grade-dependent |
| 4275 | Wear-resistant | High-velocity, high-pressure wear: spline liners, valve seats, wear rings | High tensile / modulus | Grade-dependent | Grade-dependent |
| 5030 | 30% glass-fiber reinforced | Metal replacement where dimensional stability near aluminum matters | 15,000 psi / 103 MPa | 900,000 psi / 6.2 GPa | 2.6 |
| 7130 | 30% carbon-fiber reinforced | Aerospace structural parts, impellers, housings; CLTE close to steel | High tensile / modulus | Grade-dependent | Steel-like |
Reinforcement changes the trade-off: glass and carbon fiber raise stiffness and dimensional stability, while the unfilled and bearing grades stay tougher and easier to machine.
Aircraft hardware, brackets, and structural components where weight savings over metal can't come with a strength penalty.
Burn-in test sockets, wafer handling components, and insulators that hold tolerance through repeated thermal cycling.
Seal rings, valve seats, thrust washers, and bushings running in hydraulic fluid and fuel environments.
Switches, relays, and connector bodies that need high dielectric strength alongside mechanical toughness.
Wear rings, cams, and sliding components exposed to heat, pressure, and aggressive chemistries.
Glass- and carbon-filled grades stand in for aluminum and steel in housings and impellers without the corrosion risk.
Rod, plate, tube, or machined parts. Emco stocks Torlon® and quotes fast.
