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Polyetherimide (PEI) Resin

What is PEI Resin?

Polyetherimide (PEI) resin is an amorphous, amber-to-transparent, high-performance engineered thermoplastic distinguished by its exceptional mechanical and thermal properties. It offers high strength, stiffness, and chemical resistance, maintaining predictable performance even at elevated temperatures up to 200°C, with a glass transition temperature of 217°C (422°F).

This resin exhibits superior dimensional stability and is highly creep resistant, while also possessing inherent flame resistance without the need for additives.

In terms of manufacturing, it offers good processability and can be readily extruded, thermoformed, or injection molded. Uniquely among engineering plastics, PEI exhibits one of the highest dielectric strengths—around 25 kV/mm at 1.6 mm thickness—which makes it ideal for electrical insulators, capacitor housings, and high-voltage connectors.

Consequently, its balance of cost and high performance secures its usage in critical high-value applications within the electronics, healthcare, automotive, and aviation industries where strength, insulation, and thermal endurance are essential.

Additives, Modifiers, and Reinforcing Agents:
  • Additives – UV stability, easy release (mold releases), colorants, and other stability additives
  • Modifiers – Flame retardants, impact modifiers, flow enhancers
  • Reinforcing Agents – Glass fibers

PRL Alternative Material Solutions to

Example: If you’re looking for Sabic Ultem alternatives: find the product in the relevant row and look to the leftmost row to find our alternative.

PRL Grades

  • PRL PEI-GP1
  • PRL PEI-G10
  • PRL PEI-G20
  • PRL PEI-G30
  • PRL PEI-G40

Sabic Ultem®

  • 1000,1010
  • 2100, 2110
  • 2200, 2210
  • 2300, 2310
  • 2400, 2410

Datasheets with Full PEI Marterial Properties

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PRODUCT Q&As

Q. What is the development history of PEI?
A. Polyetherimide (PEI) resin was developed to address challenges of polyimides, including poor processability and high cost. Incorporating polyethers in the polymer chain improves melt processing, while polyimides impart high-temperature performance. Other key properties of PEI include high tensile strength, rigidity and inherent flame retardancy. This amorphous, transparent (amber) resin competes with other high-temperature polymers such as polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polysulfones
Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of PEI?
A. Polyetherimide offers many benefits including high-heat performance, flame retardancy without the need for additives and low smoke generation, good electrical properties, hydrolytic stability, resistance to UV light and weathering, and a desirable combination of mechanical properties, which are retained at high temperatures. After being processed using conventional methods (injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming), PEI can be machined, painted or metallized. Drawbacks of PEI include high costs, limited colorability and poor resistance to certain chemicals, such as polar chlorinated solvents and aromatic hydrocarbons. It also requires higher melt and mold temperatures than many other resins for effective molding.
Q. What applications is PEI used for?
A. Because of its exceptional performance properties, PEI is used in highly demanding applications in the aerospace, automotive and electronics sectors, where it can replace metal and thermosets to reduce weight and streamline processing. Automotive applications include lighting bezels and reflectors, and under-hood parts such as switches and transmission and ignition components. In aerospace, PEI is widely used for interior components such as tray tables and seating. Electrical/electronics applications range from connectors to switches, motor parts, and molded interconnect devices (MIDs). More recently, the use of PEI is growing in the additive manufacturing industry for 3D printing applications such as functional prototypes and production parts that require high strength and flame-smoke-toxicity ratings.

Our Mission

My mission at Polymer Resources has not changed since I founded this company more than four decades ago. It includes continuing our tradition of financial stability, sustainable growth and visionary leadership that compounds success for customers, suppliers and employees. It also means proudly manufacturing our products in America, and making them available to the global marketplace.

Les Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Polymer Resources, Ltd.

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