Innovation | engineering thermoplastics
The current direction in engineering plastics development is formulation of highly application-oriented grades with very specific performance characteristics. Peter Mapleston takes a look at the latest innovations
Engineering plastics to perform
In the Golden Age of engineering thermoplastics back in the 20th
century chemists could conjure up new
polymers at will and then sit back while markets grew up around them. Today, the boot is on the other foot and researchers are charged with coming up with products that fi t highly specifi c applications. That may be a gross over-simplifi cation, of course, but the fact is that polymer chemists now have the tools to be far more precise in their creations. Serendipity—accidents that have led to inventions ranging from polyethylene to PTFE—has been shown the door. Less romance, more quiet effi ciency. The latest results of this highly targeted R&D work include a whole raft of new polyamides for use in hot environments such as car engine compartments, thermoplastic polyesters with improved hydrolysis resistance for electrical and electronic components, and acetals with better than ever tribological properties. And yes, there is in fact still some romance, with the phoenix-like revival of polyketone.
All action in polyamides Polyamide is the oldest thermoplastic, but it keeps on giving. “Ten years ago, the maximum service tempera- ture of a PA66 was 160°C,” says Ernst Poppe, Technical Manager, Performance Polymers, at DuPont, home of the invention. “Today, with DuPont’s Zytel Plus range, it is between 180 and 210°C. It’s the same polymer, but it’s been improved with tremendous R&D.” The Zytel Plus family actually comprises a range of
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polyamides, including PA6, PA66 and other unspecifi ed types, all making use of DuPont’s Shield Technology. This combines modifi cations to the polymer with synergistic additives to enhance resistance to thermo- oxidative damage by slowing diffusion of oxygen into moulded parts.
As it happens, DuPont has not reported any new
polyamide 66 injection moulding grades in recent months (Zytel Plus debuted in 2011), but other suppliers have. Technyl One is what executives at Solvay Engineer- ing Plastics (previously Rhodia) like to term a “Super 66.” It falls into the property spectrum between regular PA66 and fully aromatic polyamides. Melting point is around 20°C higher than regular PA66 at 280-285°C. It is initially intended for electrical and electronic (E&E) applications, but Solvay also sees a great future for the material in other fi elds, such as automotive turbo chargers where PA66 may not have suffi cient thermal stability and PPA may be over-specifi ed. The fi rst commercial grade in the new
range, J60X1 V30, is a halogen-free fl ame retardant 30% glass reinforced type. James Mitchell, Global Electrical Equipment Market Director, says the development addresses big problems with tool and equipment corrosion resulting from processing
November/December 2013 | INJECTION WORLD 29 Below: A parking brake
motor gear unit housing moulded in hydrolysis
resistant Pocan B 3233 HR PBT from Lanxess
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