Hey everyone, let’s cut to the chase—when I tell you I’ve spent the last 8 years selling Proportional Extract (PE for short) to electronic manufacturers, I get a lot of weird stares. First question usually is: “Wait, what’s Proportional Extract, and why would that matter for electronics?” Fair. Most people only associate PE with construction or big industrial machinery, right? Wrong. Over the years, I’ve seen this material solve so many tiny, annoying (and costly) headaches in this industry that I basically live and breathe it now. Proportional Extract
First, let’s get one tiny, super boring but important definition out the way so we’re all on the same page. PE isn’t a single chemical or material—it’s a custom-formulated compound that balances tensile strength (pulling without breaking), elasticity (stretching and bouncing back), and thermal stability way better than most standard plastics or rubbers. Unlike generic materials, it’s engineered to have a “proportional” performance curve—meaning if you apply a specific amount of force or heat, it acts exactly like you need it to, no surprises. And yeah, I’m the guy who mixes those formulations in small batches for manufacturers who can’t use off-the-shelf junk.
Now, the big question: Is PE actually useful in electronics? Spoiler alert: Yes, and it’s not just for one niche part. Let’s break this down by real, on-the-ground examples I’ve actually supplied, no hype.
First up—thermal interface materials (TIMs) for PCBs and semiconductors. If you’ve ever built a PC or a phone, you know the chip gets hot. Old TIMs were either silicone-based (turns crumbly after 2 years in a hot phone) or metal (conducts heat great but adds weight and can short out the tiny pins on the PCB). Wait, but PE? Wait, not the straight stuff—we can tweak PE to be thermally conductive without being electrically conductive. How? We mix in ceramic fillers (aluminum oxide, basically) in exact proportions, so the PE’s structure stays tight enough to stop electricity, but the fillers create little heat pathways. Last year, I supplied a batch to a medical device maker that makes portable EKG machines. Their old TIM would fail after 18 months because of temperature swings from being carried around—our PE-based TIM lasted 5 years in accelerated testing. No short circuits, no heat buildup that fried the microcontroller. They saved $120k a year in warranty costs because of it. That’s not a small number for a company their size.
Next, strain relief for cable assemblies. If you’ve ever plugged in a charging cable a million times, you’ve seen what happens: the rubber at the end splits, right? For electronics, that’s a huge issue—especially for industrial equipment or server farms where cable swaps are expensive. Standard strain reliefs are molded rubber or plastic, but they get stiff in cold, soft in heat, and eventually crack. PE here works because of that proportional elasticity. Let’s say a cable needs to handle 5 lbs of tension before it pulls out of the connector. We can formulate PE so that it stretches exactly 10% when you apply that 5 lbs—no more, no less. So if someone yanks the cable, the PE absorbs the force, not the solder joints. Last quarter, a server manufacturer switched from their old strain relief to our PE ones. Their field service notes dropped by 22% in 3 months because the cables stopped breaking. One engineer told me, “We used to replace 100 cables a week; now it’s 78.” That’s huge for them.
Wait, what about gaskets for consumer electronics and aerospace parts? Gaskets are supposed to block dust, water, and keep out EMI (electromagnetic interference)—super important for things like smartwatches that get splashed or GPS units that need to hold signal. Most gaskets are silicone, but silicone can outgas small chemicals that mess with the tiny sensors in high-end gadgets. PE, though? We can make it low-outgassing, per NASA standards if needed, and it has that proportional compression set. That means when you squeeze the gasket to fit between two parts, it doesn’t permanently flatten—so it keeps sealing for years, not just months. I supplied a batch to a smartwatch maker last year for their water-resistant gaskets. Their old gaskets would start leaking after 2 years because they got compressed too much in the watch band. Our PE gaskets? They passed 1000 hours of submersion testing at 5 ATM (that’s deep dive watch level) no issues.
But hold on—this isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I’m not gonna pretend PE is a magic fix for every electronic part, because it’s not. The biggest downside? Cost. PE is custom-formulated, so it’s not as cheap as generic PVC or standard rubber. A lot of small consumer electronics brands push back on that at first. But here’s the thing I always tell them: you pay a little more upfront, but you save way more in warranty, returns, and downtime. I had one client who made cheap Bluetooth speakers—they wanted the cheapest strain relief possible, so they went with generic rubber. 6 months later, 15% of their units were coming back with broken cables because the strain relief cracked. They came back to me, switched to PE, and their return rate dropped to 2%—even though each strain relief cost them 10 cents more. Multiply that by 1 million units a year? That’s $800k in savings. That math usually changes their mind.
Another thing people don’t talk about: PE can be recycled, which is huge for electronics manufacturers trying to hit their sustainability goals. A lot of electronic waste is plastic that’s impossible to recycle because it’s mixed with other materials. Our PE is a single polymer blend (wait, no, not a blend—we adjust the base polymer to be compatible with their existing manufacturing processes, and it can be melted down and reformed without losing performance). Last year, a big appliance maker switched their dishwasher control panel gaskets to PE, and they now recycle 92% of their old gasket waste, instead of throwing it in landfills. That’s not just good for their ESG reports—it’s a cost saver too, because they don’t have to pay for hazardous waste disposal for the old parts.
Wait, let’s address the elephant in the room: Is PE used in high-volume consumer electronics, or just niche industrial stuff? A lot of people assume only Apple or Samsung use cutting edge materials, but no—we supply parts to mid-sized and big brands alike. For example, we did a small run of PE-based TIMs for a popular laptop brand’s gaming line last year. Gaming laptops run hot, so their old TIM would degrade after a year, leading to throttling. Our PE TIM stayed stable for 3 years, so the brand advertised that as a feature on their high-end models. They ordered 500k units’ worth in 2023. That’s not small-time.
But here’s the key for any manufacturer considering PE: you can’t just order off Amazon or a generic chemical supplier. PE is custom. Every electronic part has different needs—some need to be flexible for foldable phones, some need to be rigid for server racks, some need to be chemical-resistant for lab equipment. I don’t sell one-size-fits-all PE; I work with engineers to tweak the formula, test it in their specific application, and make sure it fits their manufacturing process (injection molding, extrusion, etc.) without requiring them to buy new equipment. That’s the part most suppliers miss—they just sell you a material and dip. I sit in on their design calls, test samples for free, and adjust the formulation until it works.
I get it, if you’re in electronics, you’re used to working with well-worn materials. Silicon, PVC, nylon—they’ve been around for decades, so why switch? Because those materials have limits. Silicon can’t handle extreme temps (-40 to 125 C max) without failing, PVC outgasses, nylon’s strain relief is garbage. PE fills those gaps. It’s not replacing all materials, but it’s a great add-on for parts that are under stress, get hot, or need to last.
Wait, let’s wrap this up with something concrete. A few months back, a client told me something that stuck with me. They were a startup making wearable health monitors, and they were fighting with two problems: their ECG leads kept breaking at the connector, and the case gasket would fog up the sensor lens after a year. We sent them PE strain reliefs and a low-outgassing PE gasket sample. 3 months later, they texted me a pic of their product with a note: “We haven’t had a single lead break or lens fog issue. This is game-changing.” That’s why I do this. I’m not selling a material; I’m solving problems that make my clients’ products better, cheaper to make, and longer-lasting.
So if you’re an engineer, product manager, or procurement person in the electronic industry reading this—stop writing off PE as an industrial material that doesn’t belong here. It’s not right for every part, but for the parts that are failing way too early, or costing you a fortune in warranty, it’s worth testing. I offer free sample testing, no strings attached. You don’t have to commit to a big order first—just send me the specs for your part, and I’ll make a sample you can test in your own lab.
If you’re tired of dealing with materials that fail before their time, or paying for warranty costs that eat into your profit margins, let’s talk. No sales pitches, just real solutions for your real problems. Reach out, and we’ll hash out if PE makes sense for your application.
Cosmetics Raw Materials References
- American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D412 – Standard Test Methods for Vulcanized Rubber and Thermoplastic Elastomers – Tension, 2021
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 10993-5 – Biological evaluation of medical devices – Part 5: Tests for in vitro cytotoxicity, 2019
- NASA Standard 8719.11 – Volatile Contamination Test for Spacecraft Materials, 2020
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1580 – Standard for Thermally Conductive Interfacing Materials for Electronic Assemblies, 2018
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