Thermoplastic polymer for electrically conductive thermoforming applications

This invention relates to a thermoplastic polymer composition that exhibits excellent characteristics for being thermoformed into a wide variety of packaging trays for electronics, including the disk drive and semiconductor industries. More specifically, these trays are applicable as packaging material for head suspension assembly and offer conductivities in the range of antistatic to electrostatic dissipation (ESD). For instance, the thermoplastic polymer composition of this invention offers improved stiffness, improved chemical resistance, the capable of enduring more washing cycles, the capability of being dried at higher temperatures, improved cleanliness, and better electrical conductivity that conventional PETG/IDP polymer blends. The thermoplastic polymer composition of this invention is comprised of (1) a polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolyester, (2) from 1 weight percent to 6 weight percent carbon nanotubes, (3) from 2 weight percent to 30 weight percent of a copolymer of ethylene with a higher α-olefin, wherein the copolymer is of ethylene with the higher α-olefin is grafted with maleic anhydride or glycidyl methacrylate, (4) from 1 weight percent to 10 weight percent of a functionalized rubbery polymer, (5) from 1 weight percent to 10 weight percent of an acrylic based core-shell polymer, and (6) from 0.5 weight percent to 6 weight percent of a lubricant selected from the group consisting of high density polyethylene and polyester wax, where the polyethylene terephthalate glycol copolyester makes up the balance of the composition and wherein all weight percentages are based upon the total weight of the thermoplastic polymer composition.