MARKETS | BIAX FILM


are wound onto a large cylinder and then cut into rectangular sections. Growth of the film capacitor market has been driven by the rising demand for products like consumer electronics, new energy and EVs. Although a fragmented market, for many film capacitor manufacturers the strategy remains the same; to rapidly expand their product portfolios and production volumes. Major players include Panasonic, Nichicon, AVX and KEMET, which was bought by Taiwanese YAGEO Corporation in 2020, forming a global powerhouse for passive electrical components. In November 2023, it launched a new series of high-reliability metallised PP film capacitors with high operating temperatures for harsh operating environments.


Thinner films Capacitor films are still considered to be a niche market within the biaxially oriented films arena, with demand unlikely to meet the same volumes as biax packaging films due to their small size and thin nature. Trends such as miniaturisation and the adoption of EVs and new energy continue to drive demand for increasingly thinner dielectric films. While the value addition of these thinner films affords producers a higher price, they are a challenge to produce and can lead to reduced voltage resistance.


Although demand is predominantly in Europe and China, North East Asia is a leading producer of these highly technical films. Biaxially oriented PP and PET films together account for the majority of polymer consumption, while other substrates include high end engineer- ing polymers such as PPS and PEN. Intrinsically, PP possesses the highest breakdown strength among polymeric dielectrics. It also has low dielectric loss


Global market for polymer dielectrics by film type Source: AMI Consulting


factor, high volume resistivity and very good self-healing capability, enabling operation at high electric fields. Polyester is the second most commonly used dielectric polymer, offering slightly higher dielectric constant and operating temperatures than BOPP and is best used in DC or in relatively low-frequency or low-current pulse AC applications. The development of higher temperature PP


resins is ongoing and alternative materials are also starting to emerge. In 2023, Borealis announced a new ethylene-propylene-norbornene (EPN) resin for polymer dielectric film, jointly developed with TOPAS Advanced Polymers to overcome this limitation and to support the design of film capaci- tors for high temperature applications. Compared with BOPP, BOEPN is said to present lower shrink- age, lower DC conductivity and higher breakdown strength, also lifting temperature ratings by 20°C.


Get more insights: attend Biax Film in November


Due to rising production of highly-technical films in Asia, AMI has moved the next edition of its well-established event, Biax Film, to Bangkok, Thailand on 19-21 November 2024. The event delivers the latest updates from the biaxially- oriented film industry, this year with a particular emphasis on emerging technical applications. Here are some of the presentations you may find interesting: Keynote: Challenges of separator films for li ion batteries: past, present & future • Fundamental technical knowledge • Challenges & benefits in market & technology • Trends & recent topics Kazuhiro Yamada, President, Onko-Takushin Battery Materials, Japan


24 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | October 2024


Overview of capacitors for industrial and automotive applications


• BOPP industry potential for capacitor applications • Film capacitor case studies for advanced converters • Capacitor requirements for advanced power converters Santosh Yadav, Deputy Manager R&D, Film Capacitors, TDK Electronics (TDK India), India


Developments to meet tomorrows’ requirements for slitting and winding technical films Oliver Conrad, Director of Sales, Kampf, Germany


Find out more and book your place at the event here: www.ami.ltd/book-BIAX


www.filmandsheet.com


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