Durable polycarbonate from Bayer protects sensitive electronics in rugged applications

PITTSBURGH, March 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Products to be used in rugged environments ranging from industrial to outdoor to medical have one clear thing in common – the need for toughness and durability. This is the "real-world" situation InHand Electronics faced when developing its own Hydra-F6™ tablet and the display unit for the Praemittias Systems' Wolfhound Cooperative Radio Direction Finding System^® (Wolfhound).

"For our rugged tablet and radio system we required a commercially available material that was durable, moldable, resistant to chemicals and withstood impact testing," explained Tien Chuang, senior mechanical engineer, InHand Electronics, Inc. "We found what we were looking for in Makrolon^® 9415 polycarbonate from Bayer MaterialScience."

Makrolon^® 9415 polycarbonate is an easy-release, high-viscosity and flame-retardant grade. It is 10 percent glass-fiber reinforced and meets UL 94 V-0 rating at 1.5 mm and 5VA rating at 3.0 mm. This material was originally used by InHand Electronics in 2011 for its earlier-generation T3 model and provides superior performance in multiple industries due to its light weight, durability and good thermal properties.

"We worked with InHand for about a year to identify the right material for the job," said Anthony Leo, field market development, Polycarbonates – Northeast, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. "Bayer provided InHand with information regarding material properties and assisted with color matching and standards compliance."

Standards compliance was an important consideration when developing the Hydra-F6™ tablet. The device offers the versatility and portability of a consumer tablet with the durability and long production life of a MIL-SPEC mobile device. With a size of 8.42 inches by 5.92 inches by 0.98 inches and weighing 1.5 pounds, the tablet meets challenging MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F and IP67 environmental requirements. The housing, molded from Makrolon^® 9415 polycarbonate, borders the 7-inch WSVGA sunlight-readable display with touchscreen, brightness control and automatic display rotation. It is available as a commercial, off-the-shelf tablet, or it can be semi or fully customized for application-specific needs.

InHand created a handheld display head for the Wolfhound device. The display head provides a touch-screen LCD in a durable, lightweight package tethered to the main Wolfhound unit, enabling users to easily interact with the system while in environmentally harsh (e.g. wet, hot, cold, humid and/or dirty) conditions. Incorporating an integral GPS for geolocation, the system detects signals of interest and visualizes the information on the handheld display.

The Wolfhound display head required a lightweight material (for portability) that was also tough and satisfied MIL-SPECs. To help achieve this, the display head relies on the superior properties of Makrolon^® 9415 polycarbonate.

"These applications benefit from the customization options and outstanding toughness of the polycarbonate, as well as its processability," said Kevin Dunay, market segment manager, Electrical, IT & Appliance, Polycarbonates – North America, Bayer MaterialScience LLC. "With the injection molding process, InHand had various options for the geometry of the final product design. This design freedom was another important consideration for selecting Makrolon^® plastic."

About Bayer MaterialScience LLC:
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer MaterialScience business with approximately 14,300 employees at 30 production sites around the world and 2013 sales of 11.2 billion euros. Bayer MaterialScience, a Bayer Group company, manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and sports and leisure industries. Sustainability is central to Bayer MaterialScience LLC's business and is based around the key areas of innovation, product stewardship, social responsibility and respect for the environment.

About InHand Electronics, Inc.:
InHand Electronics, Inc. is an original design manufacturer of single board computers and rugged handhelds for original equipment manufacturers. InHand's products are used in a variety of markets including: military, healthcare, industrial, entertainment, and instrumentation. Products feature industry-leading technologies such as: Freescale, Intel, Texas Instruments, and Marvell processors and Android, Linux, Ubuntu, and Microsoft operating systems. InHand offers engineering design services (system, hardware, software, and packaging) along with support services (product manufacturing, program management, manufacturing test development, and supply chain) to assure on-time and on-quality product delivery. InHand offers commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computing platforms, as well as modified COTS design services to customize electronic product solutions. InHand is an ITAR registered company. InHand products are designed and assembled in the USA. The company's headquarters are located along the I-270 Technology Corridor in Rockville, Maryland.

Contact:
John Skabardonis, Phone: 412-777-5444
Email: [email protected] 
General media inquiries can be directed to 412-777-5200.

For more information about Bayer MaterialScience LLC polycarbonate materials, call 1-800-662-2927, email [email protected] or visit www.plastics.bayer.com.

Hayley Parks, Phone: 240-558-2014, ext. 228
Email: [email protected]

For more information about InHand Electronics, call 240-558-2014, email [email protected] or visit www.inhand.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE Bayer MaterialScience LLC