PEI Drip Tip – What is it in Vaping?

Definition

A PEI DripTip“>drip tip is a heat-resistant mouthpiece made from Polyetherimide (PEI), a high-performance amber-coloured plastic. It screws or press-fits onto the top of your tank, pod system or rebuildable atomiser and forms the final pathway vapour travels before reaching your lips. Because PEI tolerates continuous heat above 170 °C without warping or leaching flavour, these drip tips keep high-wattage or chain-vaping sessions cool and comfortable while preserving the true taste of your PG/VG e-liquid. Beginners like the lightweight feel; advanced vapers value the chemical stability and snug 510 or 810 fit that prevents annoying spit-back and condenses vapour for a smoother draw.

Technical Details

PEI (brand name Ultem®) is an amorphous thermoplastic with a glass-transition temperature of ~217 °C, allowing it to survive dry-burns and Power Mode bursts that would deform ordinary ABS or Delrin tips. Standard Australian-market PEI drip tips come in two sizes:

  • 510: 8.5 mm base diameter, 12 mm top bore—ideal for mouth-to-lung pod systems and higher-nicotine juices.
  • 810: 12.5 mm base diameter, 14–18 mm wide bore—matched to sub-ohm cloud tanks and low-resistance coils.

Wall thickness averages 1.2 mm, keeping outer surface temperature 15–25 °C cooler than the internal vapour stream. Variations include short “stubby” caps for concentrated flavour, long “chuff” styles that increase Puff Count comfort, and hybrid aluminium-PEI rings that add colour without sacrificing heat shielding. All are autoclavable, ISO 10993 biocompatible, and resist cracking from citric or menthol-heavy e-liquids.

Usage & Tips

Push straight down until the o-ring seats flush—twisting can score the PEI and cause loose fits. If your tip wobbles after months of swapping, wrap a single strand of dental floss under the o-ring to restore tension. Rinse weekly under warm water to remove VG buildup; avoid alcohol wipes which cloud the surface. Never dry-burn coils while the tip is attached—extreme radiant heat can discolour PEI. Because PEI is an insulator, it is inherently child-safe against lip burns, but always check for hairline cracks after dropping your mod; a fractured tip can harbour bacteria or snap off inside the chimney.

History & Context

When cloud-chasing culture exploded in 2015, vapers melted stock Delrin tips within minutes. Malaysian modders turned to industrial Ultem® sheets, hand-machining the first amber-coloured PEI drip tips that survived 200 W Power Mode. The trend reached Australia in 2016, where stringent heat-resistance standards quickly made PEI the default upgrade over standard acrylic mouthpieces.

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