COMPOUNDS | THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE
dissipation is considered a priority by many, as in the increasingly compact electronics used in telecommunications and sensor technology, as well as for electric motors and EV batteries. “In both these fields of application, the correct management of thermal flows is a prerequisite for the optimal functioning and prolonged life expectancy of devices,” said Luca Posca, Director of Technical Service and Marketing at Lati. “[We] must find a compromise with the requirements of electrical insulation, flame resistance, mechanical strength, lightness, reduced thickness, low carbon footprint, and recyclability.” Lati first introduced Laticonther thermally conductive compounds to the market some years ago, and has been refining the formula ever since. A recent challenge involved adapting them for 3D printing and filling them with graphite or technical ceramics, effectively redesigning them for both traditional FFF filament manufacturing and direct- to-granule printing processes. Laticonther AM for FFF enables the printing of plastic elements which have a thermal conductivity at least ten times higher than that of polymers starting from technical base resins such as PA and PPS. To meet safety requirements, self-extinguishing thermal conductive compounds are certified by UL laboratories, and among these is Laticonther 62 GR/50-V0, which is flame resistant with the highest V0 rating and considered ideal for the production of dissipative and multifunctional housings for LED lighting. “Thermally conductive materials with fillers that
provide high shielding power against electromagnetic radiation have also entered the final stage of development,” said Posca. “These are Latishields designed to dissipate heat and simultaneously provide EMI protection to solutions that can be used wherever data transmission security is as important as proper cooling of active devices. To meet growing sustainability demands, Lati designed solutions adopting recycled base polymers. Thus, thermally conductive, graphite- filled Latiecos were born and made, for example, from PA6 from chemical recycling or PC from post-consumer recovery.”
Battery cooling Effective cooling systems are vital to maintaining battery performance in EVs. Thermal management systems distinguish between active and passive cooling systems, with the former requiring coolant performances of the plastics and the latter including thermally conductive compounds as a metal replacement. In e-mobility applications,
40 COMPOUNDING WORLD | September 2024
/ THG IL O G AL :
Above: The Fulgo head lamp from French company Lagolight has a powerful light beam generated by two 2W LEDs, mounted on a PCB and a holder that also serves as a heat sink. This is moulded in Laticonther 62 GR/50 from Lati, which offers a thermal conductivity of over 10 W/mK due to the use of a special technical graphite
components are generally smaller, require more power, and need to have an aesthetic aspect while simultaneously maintaining the ability to deal with a high thermal load. “It is important to dissipate heat to enhance the life span and reliability of the battery,” said Buket Turan, Technical Marketing Manager at Turkish engineered plastics producer Eurotec. “Thermally conductive plastics are good choices for housing components of electronic modules, covers of electric motors, and control housing or components of EV charging systems. In the case of electronic parts and/or contact with voltage, electrical insulation should be also considered.” Turan said Eurotec produces a range of thermally conductive and electrically insulative PA compounds for EV thermal management systems including Tecomid NB30 NL TC 5C, Tecomid NG30 NL TC 5C and Tecomid NG30 GR10 NL TC 5C (which has 10% glass fibre reinforcement). “These grades are ready to use as a metal replacement owing to their insulative characteristics and thermally conductive performance. Because there is no carbon tracking, they can be used safely for EV thermal management systems.” According to the International Energy Agency,
EVs are expected to represent at least 65% of automotive sales in 2030. For this volume to be reached, automakers must boost the performance, efficiency, and sustainability of next-generation EV batteries. As one of the most complex subsystems in EVs, the battery enclosure system involves a multitude of challenges and requires in-depth understanding to select the right material technologies. To this end, SABIC recently
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