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

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

Kfz-Elektronik

 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

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

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

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

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

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Demonstrator for EV Battery Housings

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

Electromobility and Sustainability Are Driving Growth

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)

Automotive

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Polystyrol

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

ABS / ASA-Kunststoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Sustainable Growth

Teknor Apex presents three halogen-free FR glass-reinforced polyamide compounds with UL94 ratings of V0.

Application example: engine cover in the automotive industry

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Glass-Reinforced and Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant

Electrical and electronics manufacturers want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their products and optimize waste management and recycling for them. This can be achieved, among other ways, by using more sustainable thermoplastics and quality-assured recyclates. A close cooperation between companies to establish material cycles and the recycling-friendly design of equipment are also important.

Driving Sustainability Trends in the Electrical and Electronics Industry with Polymers

Polycarbonat

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Support for a Greener E&E World

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

Additive Fertigung

From Injection Molding to  Additive Manufacturing

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

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

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

Particularly, the car interior is experiencing a unique transformation. It is changing into a mobile office and living room. Applications such as the instrument panel are transformed into entertainment units with screens for video conferencing. Electronic devices with additional functions require ever higher data rates. This represents immense requirements for the high-performance equipment and, thus, for the electronic components and materials used. In addition, it is necessary to reduce weight and to use smaller components due to less space.

MD Elektronik has taken on these challenges and presented the new connector system C-Klic based on USB Type-C standard. It is suitable for use in vehicles and enables space saving of up to 60 % compared to standard USB ports. Moreover, the device shows a data transfer rate of >10 GB/s. For the system, the electronics manufacturer uses BASF’s glass fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) Ultradur B 4300 G4.

“Our goal was to produce as many individual parts of the connector system as possible with one identical material. This simplifies processing, is much more efficient and contributes to sustainability by reducing material changes on the production machines“, said Johannes Trä, Director Development at MD Elektronik.

The PBT is used in the Connector Position Assurance (CPA) element, coding housing and internal overmolding. Especially in the internal component the PBT displays its full strength, according to BASF. Thanks to excellent electrical properties and superb dimensional stability, the engineering plastic protects the sensitive electronics from external influences like humidity and dirt.

Moreover, the PBT fulfills another important aspect. “Due to the very good dimensional stability and low humidity absorption, the tight tolerances can be maintained regardless of the ambient conditions in the vehicle”, explains Volker Zeiher, Senior Specialist Technical Development at BASF. Compared to a standard USB charging module with integrated electronics, the new connector system can be produced in much smaller dimensions which saves installation space and weight.

<a href="http://www.md-elektronik.com">www.md-elektronik.com</a>

BASF SE  

https://www.basf.com

Ausgabenartikel

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

Prod_BASF - nicht online

Steckverbinder

Elektromechanik

issue 09/2022

issue 08/2022

issue 07/2022

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