Teknor Apex Company will introduce a new series of high-heat glass-reinforced polyamide 66 compounds at Fakuma 2018.
The company says the new series bridges the cost-performance gap between standard heat-resistant polyamides and costly specialty polymers, providing injection moulders with a more economical alternative for automotive and other metal-replacement parts.
Creamid 240 H7.5 series compounds provide the strength and stiffness of highly glass filled engineering polymers while maintaining high levels of mechanical properties even after continuous service at temperatures of 240 °C.
Currently available grades, with glass fibre content of 35, 50, or 60 per cent, exhibit improved property retention in comparison with similarly glass-filled standard PA 66 compounds.
While providing comparable performance, they cost around 30 per cent less per kilogram than high-performance polymers such as polyphthalamide (PPA) or PA 4.6.
Teknor Apex
Processing Temperatures Compared
While the new compounds have processing temperatures in the range of 280 to 300 °C and mould temperatures of 80 to 110 °C, the corresponding ranges for PPA or PA 4.6 are 330 to 350 °C and 130 to 150 °C.
“While metal-replacement continues to drive demand for polyamides in the automotive market, performance-boosting technologies such as turbocharged engines and advanced transmission systems place stricter requirements for heat resistance, chemical resistance, and reduced water absorption,” said Markus Krippner, Director of Sales and Marketing.
“These forces, along with the overriding industry effort to reduce vehicle weight, are driving Teknor Apex investment into new polyamide technologies.”