Engineering Plastics
Plastics of a tougher kind Engineering plastics, the brawnier double of standard commodity plastics, are conquering the automotive and aerospace sectors, given their greater mechanical and thermal attributes, according to Angelica Buan in this report.
Lanxess’s Durethan PA6 has been used for an oil pan module for the Porsche 911 Carrera, which despite the industry standard is now designed in PA6 and not the traditional PA66 material
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ngineering plastics, a class of thermoplastics, possess higher impact strength, high abrasion; wear, chemical and fatigue-resistance; and resilience against extreme environmental conditions, compared to commodity materials. Major industries such as automotive and transport, construction, aerospace, healthcare, and more, are advancing towards the use of engineering plastics, of which are polymers like nylon, ABS, PC, PEEK, PBT and POM. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the global engineering plastics market is bound to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% from 2016 to 2026 to nearly US$109 billion, according to a report by Markets and Markets. The fast rising urbanisation, infrastructure development, and increasing disposable incomes are a few of the compelling factors that are propelling growth of the global engineering plastics market. Automotive: a harbinger of engineered plastics The burgeoning global automotive industry supports the growth of engineering plastics, with the Asia-Pacific region representing a large share of the pie, especially countries like India, China, Japan, and South Korea as leading automotive markets. With the rapid development of new forms of mobility, such as autonomous driving, the electrification of vehicle power trains, and new logistics concepts, wider application potentials are opening up for PA6, PA66 and PBT polymers, especially in lightweight design, charging systems, battery solutions, sensors for autonomous driving and housings of electric motors as well as in the infrastructures of e-mobility like charging stations. Thermal loading for under-the-hood applications is a hot topic. German company Lanxess has developed a heat stabilisation system XTS2 (Extreme Temperature Stabilisation) that increases the thermal stability of PA66 to up to 230°C. The first product from the XTS2 portfolio is a 35% glass fibre-reinforced PA66 Durethan AKV35 XTS2. It is ideal for the production of air intake manifolds with an integrated intercooler. Another 30% glass fibre-reinforced PA66 is under development, for blow moulded hollow components such as air ducts in the engine compartment. US-based PA66 maker Ascend Performance Materials has also developed a high temperature PA66 Vydyne XHT, with two grades designed for prolonged exposure at 210°C and 230°C. Depending on the requirements for the application in question, engineering plastics can entirely replace comparatively heavy metal parts or be combined with composite materials (such as Lanxess’s Tepex continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites). The weight of individual components can be reduced by using lightweight materials and technologies, without compromising on their physical properties, such as mechanical strength. Ascend’s latest XHT series is designed for under-the-hood applications like this charge air cooler part
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MAY 2018