AKRO-PLASTIC and AF-Color at the Fakuma 2009

With leading products at the start!

The company AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, a company of the Feddersen Group and specialist for innovative and application-oriented compounds for more than 20 years, presents itself again this year at the Fakuma in Friedrichshafen. Together with its subsidiary AF-COLOR, AKRO-PLASTIC can be found as co-exhibitor at the stand of the sister company K. D. Feddersen GmbH & Co. KG - hall B 2 stand 2209.

Special emphasis has been placed this year in the application areas metal substitution, flame protection as well as product innovations.

Metal substitution

Due to continuously increasing requirements of cost- and weight reduction, the subject metal substitution is a long lasting discussion in many industrial sectors. Substitution of metal die-cast by engineering plastics has already been implemented in the automotive industry. However, it has also been proven as target-aimed solution in the sanitary sector as well as mechanical engineering sector.

The company AKRO-PLASTIC has integrated with the Polyphtalamide (PPA) AKROMID® T another classical engineering polymer within its product portfolio. The consisting product range for substitution of metal die-cast is thus more and more perfected besides the reinforced AKROMID® A and AKROLOY® PA.

The new product family AKROMID® T is particularly suitable for the use with high temperature loaded applications, for example in the engine compartment of cars or mechanically highly loaded parts in the mechanical engineering sector. The reason is that this material is particularly characterized by a high temperature resistance as well as the lowest moisture absorption of all three PA product lines, originated from AKRO-PLASTIC. Even at temperatures of up to +140 °C, the high original strength will be kept to without any difficulties and the product continuously shows extraordinary creep properties. The very high dimensional stability is supported by the low moisture absorption.

AKRO-PLASTIC has developed a product with the already known special blend AKROLOY® PA, based on PA 6.6, significantly reducing the disadvantageous features of a polyamide for the application area metal substitution. One of those features is the moisture absorption, leading to reduction of stiffness, resistance and tensile-creep modulus and consequently to a lower dimensional stability of material.

Applications, striving for a substitution of die-cast metals, are associated with usually very high requirements. Thus, the use of polyamides could only be realized in exceptional cases, even with high reinforced grades with up to 60 %, due to these reduced mechanical features.

By blending of PA 6.6 with a partly aromatic CoPA (PA 6I/6T) it has been archived to considerably reduce influence of moisture on product features. While reduction of stiffness of a 50 % glass fiber reinforced PA 6.6 shows a value of about 50 % at normal climate, the partly aromatic blend AKROLOY PA stays at about 10 % and shows a better swelling behaviour and according to this an improved dimensional stability. The material mix increases the glass transition temperature at the same time.

Flame protection

With completion of the AKROMID® FR series (Flame Retardant), AKRO-PLASTIC is able to deal with its Polyamide 6 and 6.6 with nearly all requirements in the area of electro- and electronic applications.

• Unreinforced products partially attain UL 94 V-O @ 0,4 mm
• With glass fiber reinforcement up to 30 %, UL 94 V-0 @ 0,8 mm are attained.
• The cost-optimized mineral mixtures fulfil the required UL 94 V-2 @ 0,8 mm

A bigger part of unreinforced and glass fiber reinforced products fulfil the glowing wire test according IEC 60695-2-13 with a Glow Wire Ignition Temperature of 775°C, required in the standard DIN IEC 60335-1 for safety of electric appliances for domestic purposes and similar scopes.

The comparative tracking index (CTI), necessary for downsizing of constructive spaces, lies with all products always at the highest level between 500 and 600, corresponding to a PLC classification of 1 to 0.

According to the company’s philosophy of AKRO-PLASTIC, self-evidently all products of the AKROMID® FR-series are free of halogens, do not contain one of the prohibited bromine types and can be colorized almost into every color, due to the non-available red phosphorus.

All materials correspond to the RoHS Directive 2002/95/EG for limitation of use of hazardous substances in electro- and electronic applications and are authorized according to the REACh regulation EG 1907/2006. Due to the fact, that AKROMID® FR types are free of halogens, the adherence to the WEEE regulation 2002/96/EG is simplified by the OEM. That is the fact, because a separate collection of the raw material must not be considered here.

Product innovations

The interest in materials on basis of renewable raw materials has now been steadily increased over the last years, even in the area polymer processing. Due to this fact, AKRO-PLASTIC being focussed on development of polyamide specialities has started to develop a polyamide 6.10 on basis of renewable raw materials. The new AKROMID® S consists of about 60 % renewable raw materials. Castor oil of the seeds of the castor oil plant builds the basis for sebacic acid, acting as a basis for the renewable raw material part of the polymer.

Technically, PA 6.10 closes the gap between PA 6 or respectively PA 6.6 and PA 12. It is characterized by significantly reduced moisture absorption in contrast to PA 6 and PA 6.6. Typical values at 70 °C and 62 % relative humidity are at those product types 3 or respectively 2,2 % depending on the reinforcement level. With only 1,2%, AKROMID® S3 GF 30 1 here only shows about half of the moisture absorption and can therefore be used as engineering material in cases, where high dimensional stability is required. Besides higher low-temperature impact strength, the product shows a very good chemical- as well as hydrolysis resistance. Additionally, the process ability of this product corresponds to this of a common polyamide.

Another new development of AKRO-PLASTIC is the extended product series AKROMID® RM (Reduced Moisture), on a PA 6 basis. The moisture absorption of polyamide could be significantly reduced, without influencing all further positive features of the material. Fields of application are for example warpage sensitive housings and plug connectors within the area electronic- and automotive industry.

For the Fakuma 2009, the product series could be extended with further glass fiber reinforced types including an improved chemical resistance as well as an improved surface and unreinforced types with an improved surface gloss as well as increased impact strength.

 Besuchen Sie uns in Halle B2, Stand 2209