Due to the climate change, new fields of development and sustainability topics have come into focus along the added-value chain.

Polyamide continues to be one of the most important technical plastics in the automotive sector, where it enjoys widespread use. This not only applies for classical internal combustion vehicles, but in terms of volume will also be the case for electric vehicles.

16:9

Polyamides: Electromobility and Sustainability Boost Developments

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Polyamide

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Technische Kunststoffe

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Dual Change with Polyamides

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

Electromobility and Sustainability Are Driving Growth

A large proportion of the world’s polycarbonate is processed in Asia, especially in China. This is why capacity expansions are mainly taking place there.

PC-based films enable attractive designs in automobile interiors. Electroplated real metal surfaces with touch sensors are a real eye-catcher, no matter whether the backlighting is switched on or off.

Polycarbonate (PC): Functional Integration and New Specialties

Kennzahlen

Qualitätsmanagement

Polycarbonat

Growth Driver China

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.

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

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

Polymethylmethacrylat

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.

Elektronik

Faster and More Sustainable Charging

The Internet of Things offers polycarbonates numerous potential applications. Current examples of IoT devices show the potential that PC offers.

The UV-stable housing protects the inside of the base station against impacts, even at very low temperatures, while at the same time, ensuring stable signal transmission.

Polycarbonates for Smarter and More Sustainable IoT Applications

Smart City

Internet der Dinge

Wirtschaft

Innovationen und neue Technologie

Smart Building

Energieeffizienz

Smart Home

Smart Home / IoT

Maker

From the Internet of Things to the Intelligence of Things

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)

Automotive

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Medizintechnik

Medizinprodukte

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

Kfz-Elektronik

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

HMI, Bedienelemente, Displays

Display im Automobil

Thermoformanlagen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Warmformen / Thermoformen

Automotive Display: A Matter of Form

Polymaker will offer the Polymaker PC-r 3D printing filament made from recycled polycarbonate (PC). The PC for the filaments comes from materials supplier Covestro and consists of a combination of recycled plastic waste and virgin material.

The combination of recyclates and virgin material reduces the carbon footprint of the polycarbonate and still allows it to be extruded into filaments

Filamente für additive Verfahren

Andere Werkstoffe

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Additive Fertigung

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Water Bottles Become Filaments

Selected Makrolon RE grades from Covestro are climate-neutral from cradle to gate, thanks to the usage of renewable electricity for Covestro production processes and the introduction of raw materials coming from mass-balanced bio-waste and residues.

For the production of its climate-neutral polycarbonates Covestro uses mass-balanced renewable feedstock and renewable energies.

Erneuerbare Energie

Energieerzeugung

Kreislaufwirtschaft

Covestro Produces Climate-Neutral Polycarbonate

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

Support for a Greener E&E World

The combination of injection compression molding, direct coating and partial film insert molding enables a novel design for the front module of the BMW iX electric vehicle. Important in the development were extensive trials carried out by plastics manufacturer Covestro in its technical lab.

Various production processes are combined to manufacture the front module of the BMW iX, known as the kidney.

Producing Large Exterior Parts with Integrated Functions and High-Quality Finishes

Polyurethan

Facelift 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

Elektronische Bauelemente

Leistungselektronik

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Drivers of Electromobility

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

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Extrusion

Fahrzeugbau

Platten

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Lightweight Construction

Polycarbonates for  High-Voltage Components

The shift to electromobility is also changing the requirements for the materials used in vehicles. This opens up new opportunities for polycarbonate, which was previously atypical in internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Polycarbonates with a high CTI developed specifically for electromobility are suitable, for example, for housing lithium-ion batteries and power electronics.

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

The electrification of mobility is leading to a greater merging of the electrical and automotive industries. Many design and safety requirements are being transferred from the electrical industry to the automotive industry, for example, requirements for flame retardancy. At the same time, components size reduction, increasing functional integration, and higher energy densities are driving the need for materials with high tracking resistance (Comparative Tracking Index, or CTI; see Info box).

The material requirements for electric powertrains are different from those for traditional combustion engines. For example, the need for chemical-resistant materials is decreasing, while the requirements on the electrical properties of the materials are increasing. This opens up opportunities for the use of plastics such as polycarbonates (PC), which were previously untypical in the powertrain of conventional vehicles. Makrolon PC and blends Bayblend PC+ABS and Makroblend PC+PBT and PC+PET from Covestro have proven themselves in many applications in the electrical industry. They offer excellent electrical properties, for example, dielectric strength and volume resistivity.

Covestro has now improved the electrical properties of Makrolon PC and Bayblend PC+ABS and has adapted them specifically for use in electric vehicles. The low warpage materials combine a CTI of 600 V according to IEC 60112 and very good flame retardancy according to UL94 V with proven dimensional stability and thermal isotropy of amorphous, unfilled thermoplastics. They have been specially designed for applications in lithium-ion batteries and power electronics of electric vehicles but can also be used very well in the electrical industry (Fig. 1).

Two PC Types for Power Electronics and  Lithium-Ion Batteries

Two new grades are already commercially available: Bayblend FR3015 CTI and Makrolon FR6019 CTI. Compared to previous products, both Yellow Card listed materials offer a CTI of 600 V measured according to IEC60112 and a PLC 0 classification according to ASTM D3638, combined with a flame-retardant classification of V-0 at 1.5 mm according to UL94 V. Both products use a phosphate-based flame retardant technology. This also ensures that there is no electrochemical corrosion of electrical conductors.

As it is usual with PC, both grades could also be colored though this could influence the expected CTI rating. A major advantage over glass fiber-reinforced, semi-crystalline materials, is the low level of warpage. This facilitates the precise manufacture of large parts in mass production. Because of this material behavior, the IT industry has been relying on such polymers for decades, in order to reduce manufacturing scrap. The combination of these properties makes the new grades a suitable alternative to thermoplastics optimized for traditional combustion drive.

Bayblend FR3015 CTI was developed for applications in lithium-ion batteries. As a flame-retardant PC blend with a high CTI, this grade is a great alternative to highly accurate injection molding plastics widely used in the market for cell holders, busbar supports or housings. This grade is characterized by a high Vicat temperature of 120 °C and a high impact strength typical of PC. The absence of fillers enables isotropic and dimensionally stable behavior with very low warpage. Makrolon FR6019 CTI was designed for applications in power electronics and the electrical industry. It is impact resistant, reaches a high Vicat temperature of 130 °C, which results in a ball indentation temperature of 120 °C according to IEC 60695-10-1.

Further interesting possibilities are offered by variants of the two products. Covestro has added two new flame-retardant grades to its Makrolon TC portfolio of thermally conductive PCs. In addition to the high CTI (Covestro-internal tests), these grades exhibit moderate thermal conductivity with simultaneous electrical insulation. The thermal conductivity is 1.4 W/(m·K) in the flow direction, which is sufficient for many applications given the part is optimally designed. The high filler content allows a tensile modulus of up to 8000 MPa, while thermal expansion remains almost isotropic. Electrically insulating Makrolon TC grades are available in standard white.

Makrolon TC materials are suitable, for example, for replacing metal heat sinks and housings with a lighter alternative. Covestro is also adding electrically conductive Makrolon TC products with higher thermal conductivity and lower CTI classification to its portfolio. Covestro offers technical support for suitable material selection from design to final part testing.

Makrolon FR6019 CTI and Bayblend FR3015 CTI have properties that enable their use for lithium-ion batteries and power electronics of electric drives as well as in the electrical industry. The combination of flame retardancy, a CTI of 600 V and the low warpage of amorphous thermoplastics makes them suitable solutions to the plastics traditionally used in the mobility sector.

Covestro AG  

https://www.covestro.com

Ausgabenartikel

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

Fig. 1. Cell holder of a functional lithium-ion battery: In the electric powertrain, materials such as PC that were previously atypical for combustion engines can also be used.

PIn6-23_Covestro - Hauptartikel

Electromobility Opens up Opportunities for Novel Engineering Plastics

<ul><li>Dr. Constantin Schwecke works in Industrial Marketing, Engineering Plastics for Electromobility Solutions at Covestro.</li><li>Dr. Tim Hungerland is a Research Scientist, Engineering Plastics at Covestro.</li><li>Dr. Marius Nolte works in Technical Marketing for E&E and Thermal Management Solutions at Covestro; <a href="mailto:marius.nolte@covestro.com">marius.nolte@covestro.com</a></li><li>Dr. Matthias Knaupp works in Global Technology Development at Covestro.</li></ul>

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/fachartikel/polycarbonate-fuer-hochvoltkomponenten-4888840" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>

The Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) refers to the tracking resistance of the surface of insulating materials. The value given is the highest measured voltage according to IEC60112 at which no failure occurred on five samples after 50 drops of a standardized electrolyte solution each. The CTI and UL94V data mentioned in the article come from internal tests at Covestro.