Advanced technology thermoplastics for the vehicles of the future

Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will participate in the VDI Congress "Plastics in Automotive Engineering" (PIAE), which is being held virtually due to the Corona pandemic. LANXESS Tepex Business Development Manager in the Automotive High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit Thomas Malek states: "Among other products, we will present lightweight solutions based on structural components for brake pedals, vehicle body and high-voltage battery using our continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites under the Tepex brand. We will also focus on polyamide compounds for blow-molded and injection-molded tanks and hollow parts for air management in turbocharged engines."

Single-piece casting

The key highlight of LANXESS's presentation will be a BMW Motorrad fuel tank made from Durethan BC550Z 900116 DUSXBL. The reinforced-free and impact-resistant modified polyamide 6 is injection-molded into two half-shells that are welded to the tank with hot plate welding. Thanks to this material, engines can be produced in large quantities at low cost despite their complex geometries. Tank walls have a notable margin for fuel emission threshold values.

Weight savings without compromising component performance

The potential of Tepex-brand composite materials for lightweight applications will be demonstrated in various exhibits—for example, on a fully plastic brake pedal developed for a battery electric sports car. The composite component is approximately 50% lighter than an equivalent steel construction. The special fiber layer structure of the Tepex intermediate component and local reinforcement using additional tapes meet all load requirements. Another example of systematic lightweight design using Tepex is an A-pillar with 3D hybrid design developed by Porsche for convertibles and roadsters and first used in the Porsche 911 convertible. Hybrid-end A-pillars are stable in a crash, like previous designs with high-strength steel tubes, but reduce vehicle body weight by as much as five kilograms in total.

Naturally flame-retardant and lightweight

Tepex also has significant potential for application in structural components and body parts for high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles. This is due to its naturally flame-retardant properties demonstrated in various tests based on established standards and regulations, even without flame-retardant additives. The composite materials not only offer a lightweight alternative to aluminum but also provide cost-effective component solutions through cost-reducing integration of functions and simple processing in hybrid molding methods without the need for reworking.

Materials for electric mobility charging infrastructure

In addition to powertrains for electric vehicles, LANXESS's technical thermoplastics also have significant potential in electric mobility charging infrastructure. Durethan polyamides and Pocan polybutylene terephthalates are commonly used in charging plugs, sockets, and station components as well as wall boxes in garages and parking lots. The materials are also used in components in inductive wireless charging systems for high-voltage batteries. "We have a wide range of compounds with high dimensional stability and surface quality, especially for charging plugs. They are also impact-resistant and therefore mechanically robust," says Christopher Höfs, project manager for the HPM e-Powertrain team. "In addition, our plastics are characterized by excellent flame-retardant properties and good electrical properties such as high leakage current resistance."