Latest: Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will present new plastic compounds for home and building automation as well as for lighting, electrical and safety technology at Lighting & Building.
The leading international trade fair for lighting and building technology will take place at Messe Frankfurt from October 2 to 6, 2022. Marc Marc, Head of E&E Sales at the company’s Performance Materials business unit
Marbach said: “The Lighting & Building Exhibition provides an appropriate environment to present our latest material developments in person to customers from one of our most important sales markets. Our focus will be on those already in compliance with common standards for the electrical and electronics industry. Materials tested and listed accordingly. They have improved flame retardancy, processability and electrical properties compared to standard materials.”
Low warpage, high stiffness and easy flow
One innovative material used in applications such as switches in smart home systems is Durethan
BG60XXF. This polyamide 6 compound is reinforced with 60% glass fibers (by weight) and glass microbeads, making it particularly strong and rigid. Despite the high filler content, its melt flows very easily during injection molding. The material has only a slight tendency to warp. Marc
“Using this compound, switches can be designed to be extra flat, flat, and dimensionally accurate, and can be flush-mounted or veneer mounted,” Marbach said.
Designed for short cycles
With Durethan B30SFN31, LANXESS presents an unreinforced, halogen-free flame retardant polyamide 6 that has passed the US testing institute Underwriters Laboratories
Inc.’s UL 94 flammability test, with an excellent V-0 rating at a test specimen thickness of 0.4 mm (yellow card). Its melt shows a higher crystallization rate and, therefore, solidifies very quickly. Marc
“The material has been designed as an economical alternative to polyamide 66 compounds,” explains Marbach. “It is particularly suitable for thin-walled components, such as terminal blocks, which are mass-produced in short cycle times.”
Maximum insulation class
Another highlight at the LANXESS booth will be the new PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) compounds of the Pocan E series. They have excellent tracking resistance and are
A best rating of 600 was achieved in the A test (Relative Tracking Index – IEC 60112), meeting the highest insulation class specified by IEC 60664-1. Potential applications include high voltage and miniature plugs.
Compounds reinforced with 10%, 16% or 30% short glass fiber (by weight) are available. The Pocan E series also includes two hydrolytically stable compounds.
High hydrolysis resistance, rich additional functions
Another theme at LANXESS is its new Pocan XHR product line, which has excellent hydrolytic stability. These compounds are particularly suitable for overmolding metal parts with rapidly changing temperatures. Marc
“Due to the high elongation at break and heat resistance of our plastics, there is little risk of stress cracking under sudden temperature changes,” Marbach said.
Additionally, the engineered material exhibits approximately 35% improved melt flow compared to standard PBT types and exhibits higher long-term heat resistance even in dry environments. Potential applications include bus bars, connectors and plug sockets.
