Three Ways to Save

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Dr. Sabine Philipp Tel.: +49 (6 21) 60-4 33 48 Fax: +49 (6 21) 60-4 94 97 E-Mail: [email protected]

Trade press conference K 2004 on June 22 and 23, 2004, in Ludwigshafen

Three ways to save Innovative Ultramid compounds cut costs

Report by Dr. Jochen Engelmann, Marketing Ultramid

BASF Aktiengesellschaft 67056 Ludwigshafen Germany Phone: +49 621 60 - 0 http://www.basf.de

Communication plastics www.basf.de/plastics Ultramid® xxxxx P 242e

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New Ultramid® nylon compounds offer BASF's customers significant cost savings in three areas:  Materials,  Moulding,  Finishing.

Three new Ultramid grades demonstrate how such savings can be achieved (figure 1).

Lower material costs through improved heat stabilization

Advances in polymer technology and plastics engineering over the years have led to polymers being used in areas — high temperature environments for example — that were previously the domain of metals. One such area is the engine compartment of motor vehicles. Here, typical operating temperatures of 180 and 200°C have meant that expensive semi-crystalline resins such as polyphthalamide (PPA) or nylon 46 are still the dominant choice.

BASF now offers a high-performance, lower-cost alternative to traditional high-temperature (ht) polymers in the form of Ultramid A3WG10 HS Black 20560, a highly stabilized, 50% glass-filled nylon 66. The mechanical properties of this grade, after 1000 hours of heat ageing at 190°C, are comparable to those of the high-temperature resins currently used — indeed, its tensile strength at typical service temperatures is superior (figure 2).

Customers' trials have shown that this Ultramid, despite its high glass content, produces a very good surface finish. The material is extraordinarily easy to vibration weld, with the weld strength remaining excellent even after heat ageing.

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As the new Ultramid can be injection moulded under standard nylon 66 processing conditions, the complex and costly heating equipment required to produce the high melt and mould temperatures of HT polymers is unnecessary. The new material thus not only offers the customer advantages in terms of material costs, but moulding costs too (figure 3).

Lower moulding costs through improved melt flow

The unit cost of a moulded part is largely a function of the capital cost of the machinery and tooling as well as the duration of the moulding cycle (i.e., the time taken to produce a moulding). The approach to cost savings here is to reduce the cycle time by shortening the cooling time. This can be done using a moulding compound with a lower melt viscosity, which allows a lower processing temperature than usual to be selected. On the other hand, processing this lower-viscosity polymer at the standard temperature for this class of resin produces an even higher melt flow, enabling a smaller machine — with a smaller clamping force — or a mould with simpler gating system to be employed, resulting in lower investment costs.

Unfortunately it is often the case that compounds with good flowability have poorer mechanical properties — impact strength in particular. BASF’s aim when developing the new high productivity (HP) Ultramid was therefore to achieve a balance between flowability and mechanical properties (figure 4).

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One example is the new Ultramid B3WGM24 HP. This grade is a nylon 6 containing 10% glass fibres and 20% mineral reinforcement. It is preferred for large-surface-area mouldings such as engine covers, for which both good melt flow as well as impact strength and flexibility are important. Compared with the standard resin, Ultramid B3WGM24 HP exhibits 40% better flow for the same tensile strength, while impact strength and elongation at break are only 10% less than values for BASF standard types — a mostly acceptable situation for parts like engine covers. Comparable rival products’ values are reduced by more than 30% (figure 5). Another example is the 30% glass-fibre reinforced Ultramid B3EG6 HP, which was developed especially for the power tool segment. Initial customers have been impressed. This is remarkable because in these applications the material’s toughness is particularly important.

Lower finishing costs through metallic effect surfaces

In many cases a moulded part will undergo one or more finishing operations before final assembly. Such operations include joining (e.g., by welding, adhesive bonding or threaded joint) and surface finishing such as printing or painting.

Until now BASF's range has contained two well-established paintless metallic effect grades — B3EG6 Titanium Grey for engine intake manifolds and B3GM24 Alu Silver for engine covers; both are nylon 6 types. To complement these, BASF has introduced a nylon 66 aimed at the segment for cylinder-head covers. The new grade is Ultramid A3HG7 Titanium Grey, which contains 35% glass fibres. It makes BASF the first resin supplier to develop an additive system that guarantees very high colour stability at nylon 66's higher processing and service temperatures while yielding an extraordinarily good surface finish (figure 6).