materials | Automotive More success for in-line compounding
KraussMaffei reports continuing advances in its IMC (Injection Moulding Compounder) technology (which has a continuous compounding unit feeding a discontinuous injection moulding unit) that have implications for automotive applications under the hood. Stefan Fenske, technology manager for IMC, says it is well suited to the production of automobile front-end carriers. The first carrier produced on an IMC went into serial production some 15 years ago. Latest models to incorporate the parts are the new Toyota Proace/Peugeot Expert Traveller/Citroen Jumpy light commercial vehicles (all three vehicles are produced in the same plant). The carriers are made in 40% glass reinforced polypropylene.
Fenske says IMC scores over compet-
ing processes for under-the-hood applications in terms of the high level of savings on the material cost side and a short return on investment of the IMC technology. “Longer fibres in the final
part result in better mechanical proper- ties, e.g. tensile strength,” he also notes. Asked about further possible develop- ments in IMC technology, Fenske says he envisages further development of PA/LGF processing, advances in carbon fibre processing, and further development in the field of process combination with physical foaming. “With the process combination of IMC and MuCell, large and flat parts can be produced with a high level of dimensional stability,” he says. “This combination can substi- tute conventional D-LFT-vertical compression moulding processes, where a lot of manual rework on the parts is necessary.” He also cites joint
Citroen’s new Jumpy van
substitution area with ForTii Ace, also based on 4T chemistry, but with a further improved set of mechani- cal, thermal and chemical properties. Target applica- tions include thermal management modules, transmis- sion components, timing chain and crank shaft covers, engine mounts, structural oil pans and shift forks. “We are targeting ForTii Ace at die-cast metal
replacement applications that require a high and linear mechanical performance and superior chemical stability, together with high NVH [noise, vibration, harshness] performance, at continuous-use tempera- tures of up to 150°C,” says Konraad Dullaert, global business manager for ForTii. “Most thermoplastics aimed at this market exhibit a significant drop in mechanical performance when operating at tempera- tures over 125 °C, so this is a massive improvement.”
Cutting noise with aromatic PA Also highlighting the possibilities for exotic polyamides under the hood is Solvay. It says its Ixef 1027 50% glass reinforced heat-stabilized polyarylamide enabled development of a new clutch actuator system from FTE Automotive Group, a leading producer of drivetrain and brake system applications. Selected to replace a glass-filled PA66 actuator that generated cabin noise at elevated temperatures, Ixef 1027 introduced lower thermal expansion and higher dimensional stability to the new actuator design for a US truck.
28 INJECTION WORLD | May/June 2017
research and development together with customers for special blends and compounds.
FTE and its customer have managed to reduce cabin noise with each new generation of the manual trans- mission truck, Solvay says. “Ironically, this has caused once relatively quiet functions to become ever more noticeable in recent models. The clutch pedal – or rather the hydraulic actuator system it activates – be- came the latest target for improvement.” The actuator comprises a master cylinder consisting of a piston that attaches to the pedal and a slave cylinder that links to the truck’s drivetrain. Ixef 1027 delivers very high strength and rigidity along
with excellent creep resistance, Solvay says. The material flows and packs very well in the tool, which provides the inside bores of the moulded clutch cylinders with a very smooth, resin-rich surface. The aromatic nature of the polymer substantially reduces its moisture absorption and enables the clutch cylinders to be more dimension- ally stable than regular aliphatic polyamides.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.polyone.com ❙
www.teknorapex.com ❙
www.aschulman.com ❙
www.basf.com ❙
www.lanxess.com ❙
www.dsm.com ❙
www.solvay.com ❙
www.kraussmaffei.com
www.injectionworld.com
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