3 Key takeaways from Engineering Materials Forum 2024
During Envalior’s Engineering Materials Forum on June 27, attendees to this free online forum were treated to best practices and inspirational discussions about engineering materials and applications. The forum featured 15 expert-led sessions offering a wealth of expertise for engineers and designers interested in future mobility, electronics, manufacturing, material science or product design.
During Envalior’s Engineering Materials Forum last month, attendees to this online forum enjoyed best practices and inspirational discussions about engineering materials and applications. This free, full-day virtual forum featured 15 expert-led sessions offering a wealth of expertise for engineers and designers interested in future mobility, electronics, manufacturing, material science, or product design. The forum highlighted how engineering materials are paving the way for more sustainable and impactful outcomes in diverse applications.
Following an opening session featuring Envalior’s CEO Calum Maclean, Vice President of Research and Development Krijn Dijkstra, and Director of Sustainability Günter Margraf, attendees of the virtual forum chose between two tracks covering the hottest topics in engineering materialsTrack 1 included topics on science and services, while Track 2 covered innovations and applications.
How to choose the best materials when PTFE is no longer available
During the session “PTFE-Free Solutions for Tribology Components,” Envalior’s Marta Bach, Business Development Manager, and Adnan Hasanovic, Advanced Application Development Manager, explained that regulatory bodies like the European Chemicals Agency are considering restrictions on the use of PTFE, which is commonly used to reduce wear and friction in tribology applications. The restrictions for PTFE may not only be limited to plastics but could also apply to industrial greases and oils that contain PTFE.
There is a high demand for alternative materials, and Bach and Hasanovic discussed how to make the best material choices when PTFE can't be used. For instance, Envalior’s Stanyl® enables some applications to meet wear and friction performance requirements without PTFE in challenging tribology uses, such as chain and belt guides, gears, bearing cages, and sliding bearings/bushings.
In automotive timing systems, Stanyl® HGR3-W provides the lowest friction and parasitic power loss in both ICE and hybrid powertrains, while Stanyl® TW341 and Stanyl® TW441 often deliver the lowest wear and best durability. All three types are PTFE-free.
Envalior’s research also showed that PTFE-free Stanyl® resists frictional heat and wear better than PTFE-containing alternatives like PA66, POM, and PPAs. Stanyl® also performed well when used with PTFE-free lubricating greases, making a fully PFAS-free solution possible at the system level.
Stanyl PA46 s the highest temperature polyamide available on the market, with strong potential to meet performance needs in many applications without the use of PTFE,” Bach and Hasanovic concluded.
Materials that will protect battery cells and increase overall vehicle safety
When it comes to selecting the right materials when designing plastic components for a battery system, Julian Haspel, advanced development expert, new mobility, said engineering plastics offer cost attractiveness, functionality and excellent electrical properties.
In his session, “Navigating Material Selection for Battery System Plastic Parts,” Haspel explored the main application areas of battery systems: structural components, thermal management, the charging system, and HV components.
He said that housing components made with flame-retardant Envalior PA6 Durethan® offer a cost-effective solution for protecting battery cells, while minimizing the number of parts, simplifying the assembly process and reducing weight.
For structural components, Haspel recommended only choosing fire-retardant grades if they are absolutely necessary, and being careful to choose the correct UL94 classification.
“Modern FR-recipes—depending on properties—have similar performance as non-FR- materials,” Haspel said.
For thermal management systems, Haspel noted that although indirect water-glycol cooling remains the current state-of-the-art, the trend is moving toward direct cooling by immersion in dielectric fluid.
“Proven compatibility of plastic and dielectric fluid are crucial for function and safety for the entire vehicle lifetime,“ Haspel said. “Envalior’s product portfolio shows good compatibility with dielectric fluids: impact streLength, stiffness, strength, and dimensional stability remain at a very high level, the comparative tracking index and resistivities are not affected, and compounds with a flame-retardant system maintain their original UL classification.
How data can help guide high-voltage engineering designs
In the session, “Electric Resistivity and High Voltage Breakdown Strength of Polyamides, Polyesters, and PPS,” Rob Janssen, principal scientist, functional material properties, Envalior, presented data on the volume resistivity and dielectric breakdown strength of thermoplastics, and how the volume resistivity of a thermoplastic controls its high-voltage breakdown properties.
Janssen explained that PA, PBT, and PPS, all semi-crystalline polymers, have an amorphous phase characterized by a glass-rubber transition temperature. Above this temperature, when the polymer is in its rubbery state, a small current will flow upon application of a DC voltage. The electric field drives this charge carrier transport.
"Charge carrier motion is more restricted in the glassy phase and less restricted in the rubbery phase; therefore, the current is higher in the rubbery phase," Janssen said.
He added that resistivity depends on temperature, relative humidity, and the frequency of the applied voltage. PBT and PPS have very consistent and robust electrical performance regardless of environmental conditions, Janssen noted.
"The electrical performance of polyamides decreases above the glass-rubber transition temperature, but the resistivity values and lower dielectric strength limits (at 85C/85%RH) are well characterized. Therefore, these data can be used to guide your high-voltage engineering designs," said Janssen.
Among the other topics covered at the forum were, “Material Solutions for the Transforming Residential Heating and Cooling Industry,” “Driving Safety in Automotive Part Design: CAE Material Cards for Crash Simulations,” “Exploring Advanced Welding Technologies for Engineering Materials,” and “Engineering Materials for Superior NVH Performance.”
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View EMF 2024 sessions
The TechXchange Engineering Materials Forum is a wrap, but you still have the opportunity to have exclusive on demand access to all the presentation recordings and accompanying slide decks.