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electrical and electronic | Applications Ultramid delivers solid lighting appeal


The Winkel w127 lamp from Swedish manufacturer Wästberg uses a specialty PA6,10 polymer from BASF’s Ultramid Balance family to create its high quality aesthetic and solid elegance while meeting the company’s desire for renewable content.


Berlin, Germany-based designer Dirk


Winkel worked with BASF’s Designfabrik team on the development of the w127 lamp, which features low energy LED technology and a multi-adjustable positioning system. One of the key features of the design is that the functional components – cables and gas springs – are both integrated into the plastic mechanical components yet clearly visible to the user. It is also unusual in that Winkel wanted to achieve a feeling of real solidity, so each thick wall element is a solid injection mould- ing, which presented challenges in managing shrinkage and sinking.


Wästberg owner Magnus Wästberg


was attracted to the BASF Ultramid S Balance product line for its high level of renewable content. However, the PA6,10 resin also offers extremely good dimen- sional stability while the glass fibre reinforced grade provides the required strength and stiffness for this application. The lamp components were designed using BASF’s Ultrasim software to optimise the positioning of the gates, both to avoid warping of the thick components and also to enable the gate point to be concealed in the finished assembly. The w127 design was born out of a BASF Designfabrik’ sponsored project at London’s Royal College of Art in 2009. Wästberg saw the concept design at a furniture fair in Milan and determined to put it into production. It has since been included in a number of design competi- tion shortlists. ❙ www.basf.com


claims cycle times are at least 40% shorter than they are for polyester BMC thermosets, material wastage is reduced, and recycling is simpler. In addition, designs can include thinner walls while incorporating additional functions into the housing. DSM has offered thermoplastic resins for MCB


production for more than 35 years. It has now extended this line to include Stanyl PA 4,6 and Akulon PA 6 and 6,6 grades for production of more demanding Moulded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCBs) with open arc extinguishers. Used in industrial and commercial applications, MCCBs operate at higher electrical ratings than residential MCBs. Dufour says DSM’s materials can achieve MCCB endurance ratings of up to Icu/Ics: 100kA/75kA with 400V while offering a 10-15% system cost reduction. Chinese company Jiangsu Phono Electrical was the first to launch an MCCB using the new DSM resins. DuPont is also targeting MCB applications with the


latest addition to its Zytel PA 6,6 product line. Zytel FR95G25V0NH is a halogen-free flame retardant grade offering enhanced thermal ageing performance – the company claims it retains 80% of its tensile strength after exposure to 200°C for 1,000 hours compared to around 50% for typical products in use today.


12 INJECTION WORLD | October 2013 The new Zytel FR grade is said to use a flame-re-


tardant, polymer and stabilizer combination that allows melt stability, flow and surface appearance to be improved while reducing mould deposits. The 25% glass-reinforced grade has a UL 94 V0 flammability rating down to 0.4mm and a Comparative Tracking Index (CTI) rating of 600V+. Aside from circuit breaker housings, DuPont sees applications in insulating elements, contactors, transformers, and motors. BASF has extended its Ultradur HR line of hydrolysis


resistant PBTs, which are intended for use in connectors exposed to high levels of humidity. It predicts the materials finding applications in connectors and components for electric vehicles, which are more demanding in performance terms than regular automo- tive electrical parts due to the higher voltages used. Ultradur B4330 G3 HR includes 15% glass reinforce- ment and Ultradur B4330 G6 HR 30% glass. Both meet USCAR Class 5 climatic cycling test requirements (the cyclical nature of this test means the material is wet at the start of the high temperature phase, making it more demanding). Ultradur B4550 G5 HR is a flame retarded version, while Ultradur B4300 G6 HR LT is a black grade offering transparency for laser welding. With the focus of many electronic connector makers


www.injectionworld.com


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