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

Kfz-Elektronik

Elektronik

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Technische Kunststoffe

Hochleistungskunststoffe

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

16:9

Polyamide Specialties for Electromobility

Automotive

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

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

Electron Booster for Electric Vehicles

The global market for PBT has recovered well from the aftermath of the corona pandemic. However, there is a lot going on among manufacturers at the moment.

PBT compounds are very much in demand for electromobility, including for parts of the battery, electric transmission and the charging infrastructure.

Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT): Demand for Products with Added Benefits

Polybutylenterephthalat

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

Electromobility and Sustainability Are Driving Growth

The strong demand for PMMA is based on the continually expanding diversity of applications.

Design trend light: in the TIR lens LFO by Bartenbach and kdg Opticomp made of a Plexiglas PMMA of Röhm, the surface of the lenses is structured using free-form surface facets in such a way that the light appears homogeneous.

Trotz Rohstoffengpässen und Turbulenzen in wichtigen Branchen stehen die  Zeichen für PMMA auf Wachstum

Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA): Turbulence in Key Industries

Polymethylmethacrylat

Kennzahlen

Qualitätsmanagement

Despite Raw Material Shortages, the Signs for PMMA Point to Growth

Ascend Performance Materials will focus on electromobility and sustainability at K. The company made this announcement at a press conference in advance of the trade show.

kunststoffe.de

Wide Range of PA Innovations

At K 2022, it was clearly shown that with suitable materials not only can CO2 emissions be reduced, but also advantages in component design achieved.

The Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei showed its concept vehicle at K 2022. The domed roof in particular could lead to a few changes in future automobiles.

With suitable materials CO2 emissions can be reduced and advantages in component design can be achieved.

Automotive Highlights of K 2022

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Silikone

Kunststoffe, biobasiert

Biokunststoffe

Streifinger, Florian

Polycarbonat

Suitable Materials for Smart  Vehicle Design

Special plastics are needed for the increasingly widespread 800 V drives of electric cars. Bio-based PPA, for example, represents a sustainable option.

Faster and More Sustainable Charging

The shift to electromobility is changing the requirements for the used materials. This opens up opportunities for polycarbonate.

Specially adapted polycarbonates lend themselves, for example, as materials for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.

Polycarbonates for  High-Voltage Components

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

Platten

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA)

PMMA for lights, lighting solutions, automotive exteriors, and household appliances will take center-stage on Röhm’s booth at this year’s show.

Displays with a black panel effect for household appliances can be implemented in PMMA.

More Design Freedom for Lights

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

Lightweight Construction

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

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

Higher Performance in Water

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.biz

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

2021-10-07 werkstoffe Röhm

Messe Fakuma

issue 08/2023

issue 07/2023

issue 06/2023

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