Ultem and PEEK Radome

We have to choose our material very carefully when deciding to use PEEK or Ultem to produce our radome. These two materials are the best for the job. If we don’t choose them, we will fail or fall back because these materials are a lot stronger than the other ones that can be made for a radome.

General for the use of radome, it needs materials to have properties such as high mechanical strength, low dielectric constant and dielectric loss, high wave penetrate rate, and good weather resistance. So that’s why PEEK and Ultem are so commonly used. For more detailed information and datasheet of PEEK sheet and Ultem sheet, check our product page. Meanwhile, if your application needs to withdraw very high temperature, then PI(polyimide) is recommended.

why use PEEK and Ultem to produce antenna

• Good mechanical strength

PEEK and Ultem are unbreakable thermoplastics that can be used for creating radomes for antennas, microwave components, aerospace, and the military. In fact, PEEK and Ultem are often used in the production of military helicopters and other aircraft.

Toughness is a significant factor when considering which antenna or radome material to use. The elements that makeup PEEK and Ultem are some of the toughest stuff on earth. Even uranium cannot compare to the strength of PEEK and Ultem. The primary reason for using these materials for radome construction is their ability to withstand extreme temperatures without losing shape or pliability.

• Excellent thermal properties

The thermal properties of PEEK and Ultem are outstanding and are one of the major reasons for their high demand in the radome market. These materials exhibit a high level of thermal conductivity, which means that heat is transferred quickly for both heating and cooling purposes. The thermal conductivity value (in BTU/hr/ft2/°F) for PEEK is 0.82, while Ultem’s value is 0.76. This compares very favorably to other commonly used engineering plastics such as ABS (0.45), nylon (0.42), and polycarbonate (0.40). In addition to their superior thermal conductivity, PEEK and Ultem have low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) values, ranging from 5-6 ppm/°C for PEEK to 7-8 ppm/°C for Ultem. This means these materials do not expand or contract very much when exposed to elevated temperatures or when cooled down rapidly from an elevated temperature to room temperature. Also, compared to other thermoplastics with high CTEs such as polypropylene (57 ppm/°C), PEEK and Ultem will typically experience less dimensional change across a broad range of temperatures (-100°C to +200°).

• Outstanding electric properties

One of the best things about PEEK and Ultem is their electrical property. This type of material has a low-frequency loss, which makes it perfect for use in data transfer applications. It also works well with radiofrequency waves and microwaves.