Electromobility in particular, but also many other electrical applications, are asking for ever higher demands regarding the electrical properties of thermoplastics. This raises the question of whether the polymers commonly used in this area can still meet these demands. The plastics manufacturer, Lanxess, has now investigated how suitable, for example, polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate are for use at higher voltages and temperatures.

16:9

How Suitable Are PA and PBT for High-Voltage Applications?

Polybutylenterephthalat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Elektronik

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Polyamide

Leistungselektronik

Technische Kunststoffe

Against the Current

PA66 and PBT considerably expand the field of applications for laser sintering by showing better properties than classic PA11 and PA12 materials in most cases.

As a temperature-resistant and flame-retardant material with high mechanical properties, PA66 opens up new application possibilities for laser sintering, such as its use as a sensor holder

PA66 and PBT for Laser Sintering

Selektives Lasersintern von Kunststoff, Metall, Keramik

Verfahren für die additive Fertigung

Pulverbettverfahren

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Additive Fertigung

From Injection Molding to  Additive Manufacturing

Electric-vehicle makers looking for fresh impetus are turning to thermoplastics, as these can be used to  improve the safety, performance and sustainability of the vehicles. Initial application areas for manufacturers can be found in a multitude of components ranging from battery cases to busbars, cooling lines and seals. Things become very interesting when material suppliers offer support in the form of CAE and injection molding analyses.

Thermoplastics play an important role in the batteries of electric vehicles. They help to keep battery temperatures in the optimal range for a long service life and high performance. 

Improving the Performance of Electric Vehicles with the Right Materials

Kfz-Elektronik

Electric, Environmentally Friendly, Thermoplastic

The conditions in electric vehicles place high demands on the materials used. Therefore, automakers and suppliers must resort to expensive, high-performance plastics. For many applications, cost-effective alternatives are plastics whose properties have been greatly improved by means of treatment with high-energy electron beams.

Fig. 1. Crosslinked engineering plastics can be used for many different applications in electric vehicles.

Irradiation Crosslinking Replaces High-Performance Plastics with Cheaper Polymers

Strahlenvernetzung

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Electron Booster for Electric Vehicles

DSM sells its Engineering Polymers business to Lanxess and the financial investor Advent. In return, the two companies are setting up a joint venture to which Lanxess is also contributing its PA and PBT business.

Lanxess is outsourcing its engineering plastics business to the joint venture.

Streifinger, Florian

Wirtschaft

Lanxess and Advent to Buy DSM‘s Engineering Plastics Business

With the change from internal combustion engines to hybrid and electric vehicles, peak operating temperatures have dropped from 135 °C to 110 °C. At the same time, the number of operating hours compared to combustion engines has increased nine-fold. This has an influence on material selection.

A Comparison of PA66 and PPA for Electric Vehicles

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Higher Performance in Water

The transformation from the combustion to the electric engine entails several imponderabilities for the plastics industry. In part, electric drives have completely different material requirements which are becoming specifically evident with the increasing use of appropriate vehicles.

In electric vehicles, the change in engine technology also entails new requirements for the plastic materials used

Flame Retardancy, Heat and Tracking Resistance of Electric Vehicles

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Elektronische Bauelemente

Drivers of Electromobility

Electrical architecture in an E-car is significantly more challenging than for conventionally powered vehicles. Particularly for insulation of high-voltage (HV) components, the demands on the materials used are increasing. With specially-tailored materials for electric vehicles, challenges in automotive high-voltage technology can be overcome.

Insulation of high-voltage components in electric vehicles makes high demands on the materials used

Polyamide Specialties for Electromobility

Automotive

High Voltage in Cars

Polymers distributor K. D. Feddersen will be presenting various new materials at the Fakuma trade-show which it will be sharing with other companies in the group.

M Vera bio-based compounds are also suitable for food contact

Compound

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Biokunststoffe

Wide Range of Materials at a Shared Booth

Premium-quality automotive interior surfaces are becoming increasingly important from the customer’s point of view. This insight prompted Asahi Kasei to develop its Leona SG series of semi-aromatic polyamides (PA), which the Japanese group will be presenting at this year’s trade show Fakuma.

Automotive interiors require materials with good mechanical properties that will also produce premium-quality surfaces

Superior Surface Quality in Automotive Interiors

Lanxess will transfer its High Performance Materials unit to an independent legal corporate structure.

The plastics of the High Performance Materials business unit are used primarily in the automotive, electrical and electronics industries

Kunststoff-Erzeugung

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Herstellung von Gummi und Kunststoffwaren

Kunststoffverarbeitung

Lanxess’ Business Unit to Become Legally Independent

Profiles made of rigid PVC have many advantages: they are easily extrudable, inexpensive, and with suitable additives, they exhibit good UV resistance. However, regarding its mechanical and thermal properties, PVC occasionally reaches its limits. This shortcoming can be evaded by co-extrusion with a PBT blend.

If the properties of pure PVC profiles are inadequate, PBT co-extruded versions are an option. For example, their thermal expansion and post-shrinkage when heated are lower.

Co-Extrusion of PVC with Modified PBT Blend Improves Profile Mechanics

Extrusion

Polyvinylchlorid

Rohr- und Profilextrusion

Extending the Limits of PVC

The Chinese automotive manufacturer Geely will in the future use a polyamide 6 (PA6) from Lanxess for front-end (FE) carriers in its vehicles.

The front-end carrier for vehicles by the Chinese manufacturer Geely will be made of a PA6 from Lanxess in the future. © Lanxess

 PA for a Front-End Carrier

Most of the energy in a crash is absorbed by metal parts. A new additional polyamide (PA) crash absorber has for the first time been integrated into the front end of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The advantage is that an additional loadpath could be added without significantly increasing the mass of the car.  Close cooperation between the project partners and the use of suitable simulation tools were key to successful realization of this project.

As part of the safety concept in the front end of the latest S-Class, Mercedes-Benz uses a crash absorber made from polyamide.

Crash Absorbers made from PA for the Front End Carrier of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Kfz-Sicherheit, passiv

Kfz-Systeme

Kraftfahrzeugtechnik

Accident Protection with Plastics

Alternative powertrains, autonomous driving and the urge for more sustainability impact the vehicle design and driving experience.

 The USB connector system enables space saving of up to 60 %. The used PBT allows tight tolerances regardless of the ambient conditions.

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Smaller, Faster, Lighter

A focal point of the Lanxess booth at the show this year will be materials for electromobility.

A focal point of the Lanxess booth at the show this year will be materials for electromobility. These include a halogen-free, flame-retardant, hydrolysis-stabilized PBT compound that possesses very good electrical characteristics.

Plastic components in electric vehicles are often exposed to higher temperatures and at the same time very strong currents and voltages. Components such as high-voltage connectors must remain electrically insulating under these conditions and must not allow creepage current to occur. Lanxess claims that its compound meets the necessary requirements.

The plastics manufacturer will also be exhibiting a near-series-production demonstrator of a battery housing that was developed in collaboration with Kautex Textron. This is intended to illustrate the fact that high-voltage battery housings for electric vehicles can be designed and manufactured from engineering thermoplastics. According to the company, the demonstrator is a sophisticated, large-format all-plastic housing part. The goal of this development was to demonstrate the advantages of plastics over metals in terms of weight and cost reduction, functional integration and electrical insulation behavior.

Driver Assistance Systems and Sustainability

Alongside materials specifically targeting electromobility, Lanxess will showcase compounds for driver assistance systems. These are widely employed in modern vehicles and are set to become even more important in the future. The plastics producer will be presenting PBT and PA compounds for the corresponding radar sensors and their housings. The company says that these meet the necessary technical requirements on, e.g. radar transparency and dimensional stability, laser welding behavior and mechanical properties for fastening the sensors securely.

Developments in sustainable materials such as plastics and composite materials based on recycled or bio-based raw materials will also be a prominent feature on the company’s booth. Lanxess has announced, for example, the imminent market launch of a matrix plastic based on PA6 for the company’s Tepex dynalite fiber-reinforced plastic, more than 80 % of which is constituted by sustainable raw materials.

LANXESS Deutschland GmbH  

The demonstrator of a near-series- production housing for electric vehicle batteries is one of the highlights at  the Lanxess booth.

For fiber-reinforced composites, Lanxess has developed a matrix material, 80 % of which consists of sustainable raw materials.

2022-09-20 - Lanxess

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe.de

issue 06/2022

issue 05/2022

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