ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC | MATERIALS
Automotive drives plastics
development in E&E As car makers pursue their electric dreams, innovations are emerging in E-mobility applications that push the boundaries for plastics used in electric and electronic
settings.Peter Mapleston looks at what material suppliers are developing
As the automotive and electrical & electronic (E&E) worlds converge, developers and producers of engineering thermoplastics are facing new challenges in creating materials that insulate well, withstand high temperatures without changing colour, exhibit very good mechanical properties over extended periods, resist a wide range of chemicals, do not cause metal corrosion, and have good flame resistance delivered by halogen-free additive packages, even at extremely thin wall thicknesses – sometimes all in a single package. It’s a big ask, but suppliers are delivering the goods. Giacomo Parisi, Global Marketing Director for Automotive Electrification at DuPont Transport & Industrial (T&I), says that traditionally, automotive OEMs weren’t so interested in flame retardant materials, or even in the electrical properties of plastics, but with the rise of hybrids and fully electric vehicles, these are now important topics.
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“In combination with the need to resist high temperatures and various automotive fluids, it is becoming more and more difficult to find the right material,” he says. Particularly when OEMs are so tough on prices. For high-voltage applications, especially for live
parts, DuPont has developed a portfolio of orange materials, for such applications as connectors, switch- es, bus bars, etc. Materials are mostly based on either PBT thermoplastic polyester, or polyamide 66. “Some users prefer PBT, some prefer 66,” says
Parisi. Colour stability over time and across a wide temperature range is very important in the final product life in high-voltage applications, all the way through to vehicle dismantling. Normally, PBT is best for colour stability, he says. DuPont has been working on improving PA66 to get colour stability properties close to those of PBT. PA66, on the other hand, is tougher and more
Main image: Cars are becoming increasingly connected – and plastic materials must meet the demands of working in electronic applications
October 2020 | INJECTION WORLD 49
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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