MATERIALS | ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC
Right: EV power
connector has Ascend’s Vydyne PA66 moulded around its contact points
In the automotive electronics area, Nerlich points to the rapid growth in the use of sensors as cars accumulate “smart” functionality. “We see PA66-based solutions, unfilled and glass rein- forced, fitting well here,” he says. He also expects growth in PA66 for battery systems in full-electric and hybrid power systems, where there will be a need for materials combining flame retardance and protection against higher volt- ages (48V rather than the traditional 12V). “It’s not just inside the vehicle either,” says
Guyer. “We are looking at 1,000V chargers for fast charging in your garage.”
Halogen-free gets better Nerlich and Guyer both point to the increasing capabilities of halogen-free FR materials. Nerlich says: “In the past, there has always been a trade-off between key properties and cost. Ideally, you want a halogen-free material – or at least under 900 ppm – with a 150 RTI, high glow wire temperature, and a reasonable price. We are putting a lot of resources into [developing] a best-in-class material that meets those needs, not only for appliances, but also newer areas like e-mobility.” Guyer adds: “The auto industry is looking more at V-0 materials – that’s a change, they were never really all that concerned about that in the past – and everybody seems to want to go non-hal.” All at low cost, of course. That’s not so easy with
PA66 at the moment, where shortages of feed- stocks have been aggravating the situation for some time. Ascend, which is fully integrated upstream, said last October that it would increase capacity of adiponitrile (ADN), hexamethylene diamine (HMD), adipic acid and polymers through 2018. Then this June, it announced plans for expanding its ADN capacity through 2022. Ascend completed its first expansion of 50,000
Eurostar Engineering Plastics’ new HFFR PA grades Wear Rate
Compound PA6 GF30
PA6 GF30 PTFE PA-66 FR GF25 PTFE
Dynamic COF (mm3 0.42 0.15 0.15
PA-66 FR GF25 PTFE-free 0.14
/N.m) x 10-6 222 4 6 9
Load (N) 25 25 25 25
Table compares tribological performance of new Starflam PA66 HFFR grades incorporating PTFE-free lubrication technology with state-of- the-art PTFE-containing grades, according to ASTM G133 (ball-on-plate)
18 INJECTION WORLD | October 2018
tpa at the end of 2017. An additional 40,000 tpa
expansion will be completed by the end of 2018, with plans for an additional 180,000 tpa to be realised by 2022.
Another supplier with a long track
record in developing halogen-free flame- retardant (HFFR) compounds for the E&E market is compounder Eurostar Engineering
Plastics. “The halogen-free concept is now being reconsidered by some E&E players and aligned for new developments towards a new European standard, EN50642,” says Technology Manager Alexis Chopin. This specifies a method for the determination of the content of halogens in Cable Management System (CMS) components or products made of polymeric materials. It sets the levels for bromine and chlorine at under 0.15%, and fluorine and iodine at under 0.3%; while the sum of all four must be no more than 0.4%. “Eurostar Engineering Plastics took this opportu- nity to develop a new range of HFFR and PTFE-free self-lubricated compounds that equals or outper- forms PTFE lubricated formulations,” Chopin says. The company’s new Starflam grades were co-de- veloped with CETIM (a French technological institute of mechanics). Wear resistance properties and friction coeffi-
cients of grades modified with polymeric lubricants comply with the new requirements and have a V-0 or GWFI 960°C performance level. Two grades, Starflam PA66 30V D271 and Starflam PA66 25V D272, are commercially available. At Fakuma this year, DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, a newly formed business segment within DowDuPont’s Specialty Products Division, is introducing an innovative HFFR high- performance bio-based PPA for SMT (Surface Mount Technology) connectors and other electrical components, including circuit breakers, where it presents a more sustainable alternative to thermo- sets. The company says Zytel HTNFR42G30NH “provides an optimal balance of improved perfor- mance and safety with increased productivity.” According to Joe Read, marketing manager
EMEA at DuPont T&AP, benefits include a high weld-line strength, resistance to lead-free reflow soldering (no blistering at 280°C, thanks to its high melting point and low moisture pick-up), low corrosion on processing equipment, and low mould deposits. Zytel HTNFR42G30NH obtains a UL94 V-0 flammability rating at 0.4 mm, obtains the highest glow wire ignition temperature (GWIT) rating and has a Comparative Tracking Index (CTI)
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