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

16:9

Polyamide Specialties for Electromobility

Automotive

Elektronik

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Technische Kunststoffe

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

High Voltage in Cars

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

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

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Drivers of Electromobility

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

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Superior Surface Quality in Automotive Interiors

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.

Polybutylenterephthalat

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

Smaller, Faster, Lighter

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.

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

Against the Current

The global market for PMMA continues to benefit from an increasing demand, mainly from the construction and electronics industry as well as the automotive and transportation sector. However, continuing raw material bottlenecks have damped sales, which has also pushed up the price for PMMA.

Lower energy consumption, better plant growth: a company in the Netherlands builds functional greenhouses with the help of lens optics made of a Plexiglas PMMA molding compound

Growth through Diversity for Molding Compounds and Semifinished Products

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Extrusion

Polymethylmethacrylat

Platten

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA)

The e.GO Life is an affordable electric car for short-range transport. Starting as a development project at the RWTH Aachen University campus, the first cars of this type were delivered in the middle of this year. For this car, the engineers use plastic panels for the vehicle’s body. The large-sized body panels are thermoformed by the plastics-processing company Parat in close collaboration with the plastic sheet manufacturer Senoplast.

All 59 plastic body panels of the e.GO Life electric vehicle were thermoformed very cost-effectively from semi-finished plastic products i. e. coextruded plastic sheets

59 Lightweight Components for the Body of the New Electric City Vehicle e.GO Life

Werkzeuge für Leichtbauwerkstoffe

Präzisionswerkzeuge

Leichtbau

Fahrzeugbau

Polycarbonat

Lightweight Construction

Because of its good temperature resistance, impact resistance and aesthetics appearance, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene is often used in household goods and in the automotive industry. The development of a circular economy also shows successes.

More than half of the world’s ABS consumption is accounted for by household and E&E equipment

Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS)

Polystyrol

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

ABS / ASA-Kunststoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Sustainable Growth

Styrenics can be polymerized using different technologies and it can be modified with a range of copolymers. The resulting plastics offer a wide range of properties allowing to customize them for different applications. Because of this range of properties they are suitable for many industries. Strong demand is for example driven by the automotive industry, healthcare and the packaging industry.

Styrene copolymers are frequently used in the exterior of vehicles. The Chinese manufacturer Lixiang, for example, uses an ASA for the radiator grill of its electric vehicles

Styrenic Polymers

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Styrol-Copolymerisate

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

Diverse Shapes and Applications

Lightweight construction, functionality and design are characteristic of material development in all areas of application for PC compounds, composites and films. The range of materials has enormous opportunities when it comes to the mobility of the future, lightweight structural construction with continuous fiber-reinforced composites, 5G technology and medical technology.

In electric vehicles, the original function of the radiator grille, namely to supply air to the engine, is no longer needed. It can therefore be used entirely as a design element, for example by integrating luminous logos and fade-out effects

Polycarbonate (PC)

Present in a Multitude of Trends

Harmoniously integrating displays into the lines of a vehicle cockpit has always been a real challenge. Continental now uses a combination of film insert molding, in-mold decoration and injection-compression molding to produce large, three-dimensionally formed plastic panels.

Two displays are seamlessly integrated into the continuously 3D-formed instrument panel

Large-Area Curved Plastic Panels with Integrated Displays

Spritzgießen

HMI, Bedienelemente, Displays

Display im Automobil

Thermoformanlagen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Automotive Display: A Matter of Form

The transition to electric cars is transforming automotive design. And so polymers producer Röhm has developed special polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) molding compounds with this in mind. These are sold under the company’s well-known Plexiglas brand. At Fakuma, the company will be demonstrating how they can be used to combine design requirements and functional properties.

Large, brand-specific combination rear lamps are on trend in the automotive industry. These are implemented with the aid of different components, such as covers and light guides. Röhm believes that they can be made from transparent and diffuse light scattering PMMA molding compounds. To an extent depending on the grade, the molding compounds have high color stability, transparency and good scattering properties combined with low transmission loss. The company offers them in different formulations and colors.

Also on display will be PMMA Plexiglas Optical HT. This material has been developed specifically for use with high-performance LEDs. Until now, this often required a compromise between high optical purity and heat deflection stability. Röhm claims, however, that the molding compound meets both requirements. It is said to ensure very good optical quality, even at elevated continuous service temperatures, and so offers the automotive and lighting industries greater scope in their product design.

For meeting even higher heat requirements, the polymers manufacturer has developed Pleximid TT50 HF, a polymethyl methacrylimide (PMMI). Röhm says it also features greater flow capability and is therefore suitable for very fine structures.

Unlike internal combustion engines, the motors of electric cars are no longer dependent on a cooling air flow. For this reason, the eye-catching grille on the front of vehicles can make way for other elements, such as illuminated emblems, other lighting elements and sensor covers. Rugged plastic elements are in high demand for all of these applications. Materials at the front end and in the lower car body are exposed to demanding mechanical stresses. For this application, Röhm will be presenting impact-modified PMMA special molding compounds at the trade show that, it says, can withstand these stresses. Due to its balanced property profile, the PMMA is a rugged, cost-efficient alternative for many components that would otherwise require coating, adds the company.

In addition to automotive applications, Röhm will also be showcasing materials for household appliances. Here, the company offers, for instance, PMMA for displays that have a black panel effect. These are not recognizable as screens when switched off, but function normally as displays as soon as they are switched on. For this technology, Röhm offers special molding compounds in neutral gray colors. PMMA molding compounds can also be used for surface finishing of household appliances. According to the company, they provide a high-quality appearance and extend the durability of the product.

Röhm GmbH  

https://www.roehm.com

Plexiglas Resist AG 100 is used, for example, in Volkswagen’s ID.3 electric vehicle

2021-10-07 werkstoffe Röhm

issue 04/2022

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