2008-02-28 Manufacturing News

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Bosch alternator cover made of BASF’s Ultramid plastics

The Bosch alternator cover made of Ultramid A3UG5 LS is a plastics material being used for the first time in automotive parts due to its flame retardant properties.

The cover that Bosch uses for the alternators of renowned car manufacturers is now being made of BASF’s Ultramid* A3UG5 LS, a polyamide 66 (PA 66) from the Performance Polymers division. This is the first time that this novel plastics material is being applied in automotive construction. The product - dyed black in this case - is rendered flame retardant without halogen or red phosphorus and it is rated V0 according to the UL 94 fire safety standard. This is the only way to properly protect the alternator while meeting the high requirements made by Bosch standard N 2580-1 governing the contents of components.

Moreover, these plastics can also be laser-written, a property that is becoming increasingly important: The logistics of large companies as well as the administration of detailed parts information often call for barcodes and data-matrix codes that can be flexibly and cost effectively applied by means of laser technology.

Bosch’s alternator cover made of Ultramid. View High resolution image. photo: BASF - The Chemical Company, 2008

Protection for electrical energy suppliers
Shown in photo at right, the alternator cover is an electrical component installed in the engine compartment. Because these flame retardant plastics are rated in fire safety class V0, Bosch is now using BASF’s Ultramid A3UG5 LS.

The alternator cover made of Ultramid has now gone into serial production and is assembled at Bosch’s generator plant in Cardiff, Wales, U.K. Bosch intends to soon manufacture this product in other regions as well, which is why it needs suppliers like BASF since this company can ensure deliveries worldwide.

Another example where plastics replaced the use of magnesium construction is in the Audi Q7 fitted with an airbag housing made of Ultramid, offering sufficiently elastic properties under cold conditions but also rigid enough at high temperatures, easier to process than magnesium and exhibits good flame retardant behavior.

Bosch is also using Ultradur B4300 G4 LS High Speed Plastics that are modified with a special nanoadditive for a new automotive steering angle sensor component. These plastics allow injection molders not only to markedly shorten the cycle times, but also to make their components with an even more filigree design.

The most interesting and fastest growing markets for Engineering plastics such as Ultramid is in the emerging Asian markets for applications in automotive construction and the E&E segments.

Spinning polymers - Ultramid
BASF’s Performance Polymers division is one of the world’s leading suppliers of engineering plastics, extrusion polymers and fiber intermediates, which can be found in a broad spectrum of industries including automotive, electrical and electronics, food packaging, textile and carpet fibers as wellas home and leisure.

* Trademark of BASF.

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