engineering thermoplastics | Innovation
Right: Chair frames with very good
surface finish
can be injection moulded using BASF’s SI grades of
Ultramid B PA6
with wall thicknesses around 1 mm. Durethan XTS is a series of heat stabilized grades
with improved continuous use temperature (CUTs). Wanders says they are a response to higher car engine temperatures and turbocharger loading pressures. Most standard polyamides have a continuous use temperature (CUT) no higher than 140°C, he says, and the company’s Durethan HTS has a CUT of 160°C. Now, Durethan XTS1, which is available now, has a CUT of 200°C, and XTS2, which is in development, has a CUT of over 220°C. The new materials are based on PA 6 and 66, but Wanders will not be drawn on specifics. Durethan BTC H3.0 mineral filled PA6 grades are
thermally conductive, aimed at automotive engine compartment and e-mobility applications. They have a conductivity of 1.0 W/mK or 1.5 W/mK, depending on additive loading (65 or 75%), together with good mechanical properties (on a par with 30% glass reinforced polyamide) and processability. “The Izod impact strength is excellent for a thermally conductive compound at 35 kJ/m2
and more than twice as high as
in comparable polyamide compounds with aluminium oxide filler,” says Tobias Benighaus, Durethan product development specialist. “Aluminium oxide systems have the disadvantage of
Below: Flame retardant Lexan EXL 5689 PC copolymer resin from SABIC was used to manufacture Siemens’ SIMATIC S7-1500 controllers
being very abrasive, which quickly causes damage to the injection mould,” Beninghaus says. “Compared to boron nitride systems, our materials are significantly less expensive and have better mechanical properties. Furthermore, their thermal conductivity is virtually the same in all directions.” Ouside of Japan, Ube Industries tends to concen-
trate more on film applications rather than injection moulding for its various polyamides, but that is changing, albeit slowly. PA6 is gaining ground over PA66, thanks in part to its broader processing window, and also its greater availability, says Satoshi Yamane, Group Leader, Overseas Sales Group, at the company’s Engineering Plastics BU. “There are not so many fully integrated players.” Ube already has 22,500 tonnes/yr capacity of PA6
and PA 6,66 in Spain, in addition to its capacity in Japan. In around a year, it will add a further 10,000 tonnes/yr , for PA6, 6,66 copolymer, and also 6,66,12 terpolymer, which is currently only available in Japan. Material produced in Spain is toll compounded, but Ube is planning to introduce its own capacity in 2016.
Thermoplastic polyesters Improvements in hydrolysis resistance link several developments in polybutylene terephthalate, PBT. Ultradur HR grades from BASF, for example, meet USCAR Class 5 requirements, which involve putting material through multiple thermal and humidity cycles. “Whereas the tensile strength of a non-hydrolysis- stabilized comparison material has already dropped to a great extent even after 20 cycles, the tensile strength of Ultradur HR remains virtually constant even after 40 cycles,” says Peter Eibeck, in business development for E&E applications. Ultradur HR is commercially available with 15 and
30% glass fiber reinforcement. “Both grades are substantially more hydrolysis-resistant than products without HR finish and are also ahead of competing HR-modified materials,” Eibeck claims. BASF is currently working on developing further
hydrolysis-stabilized Ultradur grades. The most recent ones include Ultradur B4450 G5 HR (Figure 2). The grade also features flame retardance, a high tracking resistance and low smoke density. This property profile is targeted at electrical mobility, amongst others, Eibeck says. “Since considerably higher currents flow in electric vehicles than in vehicles with a conventional drive train, the safety requirements made of the components involved also have to be reconsidered.” Ultradur B4300 G6 HR LT has a laser-transparent black color and specified laser transparency for laser transmission welding. Meanwhile, the newest addition to DuPont’s hydroly-
sis resistant Crastin PBT resins achieves a comparative tracking index (CTI) rating of 600V for improved compo-
32 INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2013
www.injectionworld.com
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