Smart Molding International 2-2022

47 materials www.smart-molding.com thermal management of purely electric powertrains are shifting toward lower temperatures. For all-electric vehicles, the long-term thermal resistance of polyamide 6 compounds to water-glycol mix- tures is sufficient for most of the parts, even for the significantly lon- ger stressing times in some cases. Thus, the cover permanently with- stands temperatures of up to 85 °C during vehicle operation without any problems, and burst loads of up to 10 bar are achieved. Long- term tests on test specimens also revealed that the mechanical prop- erties of the compound in water- glycol mixtures hardly diminish even after 1,500 hours of storage at 110 °C and a pressure of 1.5 bar. As a result, the material meets the technical requirements of a major German carmaker for water-cooled components of electric vehicles. High degree of strength and stiffness At around 29 centimeters long and 12 centimeters wide, the cover has a considerable flange length. The cov- er, together with a seal, is screwed to the aluminum housing of the char- ger. The high degree of strength and stiffness shown by the polyamide 6 compound ensures that the cover meets the strict leak tightness re- quirements. Helbich comments, “To that end, we optimized the me- chanical component properties in close collaboration with Kostal and, by simulating filling, we determined how minimum values for shrink- age and warpage can be achieved in injection molding processing. These services are part of our HiAnt service package, with which we s u p p o r t our project partners at all stages of component development.” In addition, the cover exhibits oth- er material advantages of Durethan BKV50H3.0. For example, it is easy to process and can be injection-mold- ed at high injection speeds, which benefits short, and therefore eco- nomical, cycle times. Furthermore, its copper-free H3.0 thermal stabi- lization does not result in electrical corrosion occurring on metallic parts in the cooling circuit. Another of the compound’s virtues is that it is resis- tant to media typically found in ve- hicle operation, such as oils, greases, battery electrolyte, and road salt. About LANXESS LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 7.6 billion in 2021. The company cur- rently has about 14,900 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu- facturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainabil- ity indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good. LANXESS www.lanxess.com The cover underlines the fact that polyamide 6 compounds do not necessarily have to be hydrolysis-stabilized to enable them to be used in cooling applications with glycol-water coolants in electric vehicles “The upswing in e-mobility is accelerating. Numerous new plants for battery cell pro - duction are currently being built in Europe. This fast-growing market also offers great opportunities for LANXESS, especially in the field of battery chemistry. We are already producing many of the necessary raw materials for advanced battery technology. The cooperation with Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology Co. marks a first major step for LANXESS to contribute to a local battery materials supply chain in EU.” Anno Borkowsky, Member of the Board of Management of LANXESS