MATERIALS | TECHNOLOGY POLYPROPYLENE


New polypropylene resins aimed at electric vehicles


Sabic has introduced two polypropylene (PP) materials aimed at sheet extrusion and thermo- forming for a variety of electric vehicle (EV) bat- tery pack components. H1090 resin and Stamax 30YH611 resin offer an alternative to traditional sheet metal forming, compression and injection moulding. The products are 30%


glass fibre-reinforced, intumescent, flame retardant (FR) materials and can be used for EV battery pack top covers, enclosures and module separators. Both offer thermal barrier properties that delay or contain thermal runaway propagation.


Extrusion and thermo- forming of the materials offer design, system cost, inherent thermal and electrical insulation and weight advantages in comparison with stamped sheet metal, says the company.


POLYCARBONATE Solar-powered car soaks up the sun


Exolon is supporting Team Sonnenwa- gen Aachen – a team of students from RWTH and FH Aachen – at the World Solar Challenge in Australia in Octo- ber 2023. As part of construction of the fourth


generation of the ‘Covestro Adelie’ solar race car, Exolon has provided 10mm-thick polycarbonate sheets, which are used in the production of


www.filmandsheet.com


the car’s’ before ‘battery battery cell holder. To accommodate the large, powerful battery in a small space, the team needed a lightweight material that was easy to process, could be electrically insulated and was flame- retardant. The car has been built over two years of development and construc-


tion. Numerous innovative materials are used in the car to achieve maxi- mum efficiency in terms of design and performance. The solar energy generated is fed into the battery, which is shaped to adapt to the vehicle and so make the best possible use of the space. The battery pack can store more than 6kWh. � www.exolongroup.com


July/August 2023 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 45 RESEARCH


Röhm’s research


Compared to


injection moulding of thermoplastics and com- pression moulding for thermosets – which require expensive tooling – extru- sion and thermoforming can be more cost-effective, said the company. “By providing alternatives


to traditional materials and processes, we can enable customers to design and manufacture the next generation of battery components while driving down costs and gaining a competitive advantage,” said Abdullah Al-Otaibi, general manager for ETP and market solutions at the company. Both the short glass fibre-


reinforced H1090 resin and long glass fibre-reinforced Stamax 30YH611 resin feature a combination of intumescence for fire safety with stiffness and ductility. Exposing the materials to vertical and horizontal flames at 1200°C for 10 minutes demonstrates good flame-retardant behaviour, says Sabic. Other properties include dimensional stability, low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and good creep resistance – as well as electrical insulating proper- ties and low density, said Sabic. � www.sabic.com


centre Röhm has opened a new innovation centre at its site in Worms, Germany. The company is bringing its European research activities to the new complex, which consists of a laboratory building and a technical centre with pilot plants. “Our innovation centre will become an incubator for technologies in methacrylate chemistry, and strengthen our position in Europe and beyond,” said Michael Pack, CEO of Röhm. A photovoltaic system will cover a large part of the site’s electricity needs, while heating is supplied by heat pumps. Röhm has already invested at the site in recent years, including new production plants and capacity expansions. The innovation centre will create a further 100 jobs at the location. � www.roehm.com


IMAGE: SABIC


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