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

Application example: engine cover in the automotive industry

Elektronik

Automotive

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Technische Kunststoffe

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Glass-Reinforced and Halogen-Free Flame-Retardant

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

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

High Voltage in Cars

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.

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

Messe Fakuma

kunststoffe-international.com

Polymethylmethacrylat

Greater Design Freedom for Electric Cars

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

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

Polybutylenterephthalat

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

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

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

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

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Electron Booster for Electric Vehicles

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)

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

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)

Polycarbonat

Present in a Multitude of Trends

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

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Drivers of Electromobility

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

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.

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Elektromechanik

issue 03/2022

issue 02/2022

issue 01/2022

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