MATERIALS | ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC
BTC65H3.0EF and BTC75H3.0EF have a thermal conductivity of 1.3 and 1.7 W/m.K, respectively, in the direction of flow, and through-plane numbers are not much lower. They dissipate heat similarly well as aluminium oxide systems and they have better mechanical properties than polyamides with boron nitride additives, Boden says.
Lanxess uses a simple heat sink to demonstrate that even a slight increase in thermal conductivity is enough to significantly decrease the temperature in plastic components and prevent an accumulation of heat. In addition, as the thermal conductivity of the plastic increases, the temperature is increasingly dependent on convection. As a result, the ambient air makes heat dissipation the decisive factor
Christof Boden, an expert in application develop- ment at Lanxess, says that here, the high density helps make parts feel good to the touch and can be used to create components with a perceived quality similar to those made of metal. One highlight of the TC line is a new PA6 trial
product said to combine excellent thermal conduc- tivity (2.5 W/m.K in-plane) with high reflectivity, flame retardancy (V-0 at 0.75mm, GWFI 960°C at 0.75 mm), and tracking resistance (600V CTI). Target areas of application range from heat sinks and support profiles for LED lights to LED cooling fins for automotive headlamps to housings and cell holders for battery systems. The TC product line also includes two easy-flow-
ing PA6 compounds filled with a special thermally conductive mineral that comprises 65% and 75% of the compound’s weight, respectively. Durethan
The Graphics Processing Unit, GPU (this is from NVIDIA), the “brain” of the car, has a set of crucial connectors on the board that interface with the car’s sensors and also interlink the infotainment system. So connectors are crucial to safety and comfort. High-performance thermoplastics ensure they perform as they should. DSM has a dedicated line of ForTii products based on PA4T for such applications
20 INJECTION WORLD | October 2018
Making batteries better Optimistic predictions show that electric vehicles of all types will represent a total share of 35% of new vehicles sold in 2025. Much rides on the cost-effectiveness of these types of vehicles, and the distance that plug-in types can travel before they need topping up. So an enormous amount of work is going into improving lithium ion batteries. These are composed of multiple interconnected cells stacked inside a housing, with an electrical control unit that drives the cells, and protects them from overloading or charging too fast. The battery cell housing ensures that each battery remains in position in spite of vibration or impact, withstand- ing all the harsh conditions the vehicle is exposed to. Since the individual cells are connected via busbars safeguarded by fuses, mechanical stability of the total system is essential. Any displacement of the cells will change the contact resistance and electrically stress the fuses, leading to potential failure of the cells or the entire module. This need for mechanical stability is one of the
main reasons that thermally conductive compounds of polyphenylene sulphide, PPS, were developed for this application, says Tamim Sidiki, Global Marketing Director, Electronics, at DSM Engineering Plastics. He says DSM’s Xytron TC5070C and TC5018I grades provide high dimensional stability, best-in-class chemical and temperature resistance, intrinsic flame retardance, and high thermal conductivity to ensure that the heat generated within the cells is conducted away to the active and/ or passive heat sink of the module. Sidiki says this will greatly improve the total thermal management of the battery mod- ule, achieving higher efficiency and longer battery life. Depending on battery design, thermally conduc- tive compounds based on Arnite PET and Stanyl PA46 can also be used, he says. Another area where high-per-
formance plastics are used in batteries is in the sealing of prismatic cells. The main
purpose of the material is to avoid electrolyte leakage at the cell contacts. The material must be
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PHOTO: DSM
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