Aug 26, 2019 | Aerospace, Automotive, CNC Phenolic Machining, Healthcare, Medical, Military, News, Phenolic Machining
Even at a cursory glance, it’s easy to see why phenolics are so impressive. Not only are they known for their excellent electrical insulation characteristics and corrosion resistance, but they’ve got a level of machinability that is virtually unparalleled. But even more exciting than the idea of phenolics in general are the many, many different advancements that they’ve helped bring into the world that wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
Most people know that you’d be hard-pressed to find a circuit board anywhere in your home that WASN’T brought to life by phenolics machining. But what you may not realize is that phenolics have enabled some truly incredible things in a wide range of different industries, all of which are certainly worth exploring.
Serving Aerospace, Automotive and Beyond
While much has been written about the strictly commercial applications of phenolics, they’ve also long since proven invaluable in a lot of industries that many of us DON’T spend too much time thinking about – with aerospace use of phenolics being perhaps the biggest example. Whether you’re talking about a traditional airplane or equipment that will eventually need to operate reliably on the International Space Station, phenolic machining best practices have been serving customers like NASA and Lockheed Martin for years.
Along the same lines, phenolic components have benefited the lives of our hardworking men and women in the United States military, too – not to mention all of the people that they themselves have dedicated their lives to protecting. At JMJ Profile, we’ve even made parts in the past that are still in use in the Aegis Missile Defense System – a critical program developed by the United States Department of Defense designed to protect our shores against short to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. But without the very precise insulating and thermal resistance characteristics, coupled with components that meet the demanding weight and strength requirements, none of this would be possible. These same properties have also seen phenolics used on military bases around the world, particularly with electronics and other equipment designed to assist with mission-critical goals like power distribution.
This segues nicely into the important role played by phenolics in the medical industry. Medical device manufacturers don’t just thrive on innovation – they literally depend on it. Even when a company is designing something as seemingly straightforward as a medical implant, there is a lot that can go wrong. After all, you’re talking about something that is going to exist either directly on the surface of the skin or – in many cases – inside the human body.
Because of the advancements that phenolic machining has brought with it, these life-saving devices are not only better, longer-lasting and more effective than ever. They’re also smaller and far less invasive, all while being less likely to fail. So not only has phenolics made it possible to create these incredible little devices in the first place, but it’s also gone a long way towards improving the quality of life of patients, too.
So much of this is possible because phenolic machining itself is the product of innovation. Even as recently as a decade ago, many of the things we’re talking about would have been difficult – if not outright impossible – to achieve. But with phenolics, it’s now easier than ever to design parts with unusually challenging and detailed designs for nearly every industry that you can think of.
Aerospace, automotive, medical, the military – if you can name it, you don’t have to look very far to find the indelible mark that phenolics machining has left on an entire industry. When we demand the best as consumers and as citizens, we turn to these industries to stand by our side. When those industries demand the best, they turn to phenolics – something that has and will continue to serve them well for years to come.
We invite you to contact us to learn more, and discover how we can custom machine phenolic parts for your important project.
