MOSCOW (MRC) -- Specialty chemicals company Lanxess has developed a further high-tech heat stabilizing system for Durethan polyamides - XTS3 (Xtreme Temperature Stabilization), said the producer on its site.
It is aimed primarily at applications in the electrical and electronics sectors and under the hood, particularly in the oil circulation system.
As with the XTS1 system already launched on the market by Lanxess, it raises the continuous service temperatures that polyamides 6 and 66 can withstand by around 60 C to approximately 200 C. Yet its heat stabilization properties are based not on an inorganic but on an organic additive system that is metal- and halide-free.
"The material grades of Durethan incorporating this stabilizer system are ideal for manufacturing plastic parts that are subjected to high thermal loads and come into direct contact with metal components. The metal- and salt-free stabilization ensures there is no contact corrosion," explains Thomas Linder, expert in Durethan product and applications development at Lanxess High Performance Materials business unit.
The first materials with the new stabilization are two polyamide 6 and 66 grades reinforced with 30 percent short glass fibers that will be marketed in the future under the names Durethan BKV 30 XTS3 and AKV 30 XTS3. Potential applications in the engine compartment include oil filter housings, oil pans, housings of transmission control systems and sensors that come into contact with oil, while those in the electrical/electronics sectors include plug connectors, plug strips and housing parts.
The two new polyamides are easy to process in a single robust production process. The processing range is comparatively wide, with hardly any susceptibility to moisture, and is similar to that of established standard Durethan grades. The high flowability of the two polyamides deserves special notice. "It opens up greater processing flexibility for injection molders. For example, production can be carried out at lower temperatures and thus cycle times and energy costs can be cut. Alternatively, with the same injection pressures, molders can achieve longer flow paths compared to similar standard polyamides, which enables the use of simpler molds, for instance," explains Linder.
We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, Saudi Arabia's state oil company is taking a 50%-stake in the synthetic rubber business of German chemicals groups Lanxess in a deal that values the entire unit at EUR2.75bn, including debt.
Lanxess is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.0 billion in 2014 and about 16,600 employees in 29 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals.
MRC