High Speed Plastics in automotive electronics

BASF announces the first serial application of the Ultradur S4090 High Speed Plastics in automotive electronics systems.

The especially low-warpage version of Ultradur* High Speed Plastics – BASF’s very easy-flowing PBT launched onto the market three years ago – is now being used in its first serial application in automotive electronics. Ultradur S4090 G4 LS High Speed, a PBT/ASA blend filled with 20% glass fibers, is now being employed in a door control device that the Division Automotive Systems of Continental AG, a worldwide supplier to the automobile industry, manufactures for use in the Audi A4 and A5. (PBT: polybutylene terephthalate; ASA: acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer)

Dimensional stability and shorter cycle times
The door control devices are located in the vehicle doors and are connected to the central electronic unit via the vehicle electrical system. These devices are not only responsible for opening and closing the doors and windows but they also control safety functions such as the squeeze protection and other electrical modules that are accommodated in the door. For this application, in which the contact pins of the connectors are connected to the circuit board without being soldered, the plastics of the housing should be very dimensionally stable. The pins have to fit precisely into the openings provided for this purpose, that is to say, into the plug receptacles of the housing. This is why the low-warpage PBT/ASA blend, i.e. Ultradur S4090, is especially well-suited for this application. Its high-speed property – meaning the markedly improved flowability in comparison to standard PBT/ASA that nanoparticles impart to this material – offers users shortened cycle times and improved mold filling. This reduces the number of rejects as well as the wear and tear on the plastics injection mold since a lower injection pressure is sufficient.

The door control device manufactured by Continental Automotive Systems and installed in the latest Audi A4 and A5 models is made predominantly of Ultradur S4090 G4 LS High Speed. The property combination of this material comes to the fore in this particular application: the plastic exhibits such low warpage that the pins on the circuit board fit very precisely into the plug receptacles of the housing. The good flowability of the material allows plastics processors to produce a higher number of units since the injection mold is easy to fill. Moreover, the material can be laser-written, which facilitates the labeling of the parts. View control device photo at right.

Three years after the market introduction of the new plastics, BASF will now be offering 15 different types of Ultradur High Speed at the K 2007. These include the special low-warpage variant as well as a thermally conductive version, several flame-retardant grades and Ultradur High Speed products that replicate surfaces particularly well.

The Continental corporation is a leading supplier to the automobile industry and offers braking systems, chassis components, automotive electronic systems, tires and engineering elastomers.

The Division Automotive Systems of Continental AG, as a worldwide leading technology and system partner of the automobile industry, combines comprehensive know-how in the fields of active and passive driving safety, telematics and hands-free communication systems, drives and comfort features. The 30,000 employees of the Division achieved sales to the tune of 6 billion euros in 2006. Continental Automotive Systems develops and produces electronic and hydraulic braking, stability and chassis control systems, also electronic pneumatic spring systems, sensors, engine management systems, gear control units, hybrid drives, cooling fan modules, car bodies and driver authorization systems as well as safety electronic systems, in addition to which it is the world’s leading manufacturer of telematics and communication solutions for vehicles.

Engineering plastics Ultradur is BASF’s brand name for its line of partially crystalline, thermoplastic, saturated polyesters derived from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). S40900 Ultradur engineering plastics product range, PBT+PET blend for applications in which good surface appearance is essential. They are employed as materials for high-quality technical components in many sectors of industry.

* Ultradur is a registered trademark of BASF Aktiengesellschaft.

Read a recent press release about - Audi R8 complete bumper module, from a well known manufacturer of exterior and interior plastics components for the automotive industry, meets the most stringent requirements.

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