The Polyketone with universal qualifications
Polyketone High-Performance Thermoplastic Polymer
Good chemical resistance
Aliphatic Polyketone (PK) is a high-performance thermoplastic polymer with a melting point of 220°C. This is the result of polar ketone groups in the polymer backbone creating a strong attraction between polymer chains. Polyketone (PK) meets the demands of a wide range of applications and has been enjoying somewhat of a renaissance thanks to its environmental credentials relative to other polymers. This is due to comonomer CO (carbon monoxide) in the structure of the polyketone. An industrial “waste” gas which can contribute to global warming, it bonds with a polymer to form a highly favourable monomer.
Polyketone has several properties which no other polymer has in this combination. Freshly injection-moulded polyketone has the greatest yield strain (over 20 %) compared to all other semi-crystalline polymers, virtually independently of moisture. This tremendous elasticity gives many components made of PK a high degree of safety in the design phase.
The outstanding characteristics of PK:
• excellent resilience
• reduced moisture absorbtion
• good tribological properties
• good resistance to chemicals
• good hydrolysis resistance
• shorter cycle times
AKROTEK® PK
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Process optimized compounds
Polyketone tends to thermo-oxidative degradation and / or crosslinking reactions under excessive thermal stress. This can be recognized by an increase in viscosity and / or the appearance of dark spots in natural colored compounds. During the injection molding process, a residence time of 10 minutes should not be exceeded.
AKRO-PLASTIC succeeded in developing a product series, which is characterized by a larger process window during processing. As you can see from the graph, the injection pressure of the currently available AKROTEK® PK-VM GF 30 black (4896) increases continuously with the increase of the dwell time in the injection molding unit and has reached a pressure maximum at a dwell time of 10 min. The optimized variant with improved stabilization, AKROTEK® PK-VM GF 30 black (8655), exhibits an almost constant injection pressure over a wide dwell time range.
High technical and flame-retardant products with improved CO2 footprint
Flame-retardant polyketone
Special requirements in e-mobility regarding flame retardancy, mechanics, chemical resistance, electrical properties, colour stability, processability and sustainability pose major challenges for a compound. AKROTEK® PK-VM GF 30 FR orange (8537) is the product of choice for e-mobility applications, e.g. battery management, MEB connectors, cable ducts and more.
The AKROTEK® PK-VM GF 30 FR meets the highest flammability requirements and is UL listed in all colours V0 from @ 0.8mm including RTI listing. AKRO uses only the most advanced flame-retardant systems that are free of red phosphorus and halogens. The requirements of high voltage components, such as bus bars, require a CTI of 600 V, which AKROTEK®PK-VM GF 30 FR orange (8537) meets.
The required colour stability and laser marking of the e-mobility industry can be realised by this material.
The process optimised AKROTEK® PK product portfolio offers injection moulders a wider processing window and more flexibility in processing.
AKROTEK® PK-VM GF 30 FR was developed for injection moulding and can also be processed on a large scale in 3D printing using pellet extrusion in additive manufacturing. See the video below.
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Hydrolysis resistance
Plastic components that come into contact with water/glycol mixtures require special compounds. Here, good chemical resistance and low water absorption are the be-all and end-all. The PA 6.6 GF 30 HR established on the market is reaching its limits here, especially in the area of thermal management for the e-mobility sector.
Polyketone compounds inherently exhibit very low moisture absorption, which means that the components show very good dimensional stability in humid environments. The excellent hydrolysis resistance to water / glycol is one of the major strengths of AKROTEK® PK.
When ageing according to the VW standard (TL 52682 over 1000h/135°C), only a very small decrease of the material strength is visible compared to PA 6.6 GF 30 HSRL (see figure). This provides a significant advantage in the design of the component geometry. Thin component wall thicknesses with constant pressure ratios in the component can thus be realized without any problems.
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Chemical Resistance
Further information on the media resistance of AKROTEK® PK can be found on the right link.
The minimal loss of tensile strength in the samples exposed to ethanol, methanol or mixtures of the two materials results from the plasticising effect of alcohol. The tensile strength can be restored by drying the samples before testing.
Chemical resistance data are subjective classifications based on resistance tests following standards, ISO 175, ISO 11403-3, ISO 4599, ISO 4600, ISO 6252, etc. The information is only intended as a basis for an initial assessment.
Battery Acid (38 % H₂SO₄)
The chemical resistance of AKROTEK® PK is one of the materials’ biggest strengths. It resists corrosion due to weak acids, which typically corrode longchain polyamides such as PA 12 and PA 6.6. Only light surface discolorations can be observed after 30-day conditioning in 10 % hydrochloric acid, 30 % sulphuric acid or battery acid. The elongation at break remains virtually at the starting level, however.
PK-VM GF 30 (4706): After 24 hours
PK-VM GF 30 (4706): After 48 hours
PA 6.6 GF 30: After 24 hours
PA 6.6 GF 30: After 48 hours
Applications
AKROTEK® PK is an absolutely versatile material. The most important markets for AKROTEK® PK are the automotive, furniture and food industry and mechanical engineering. Have a look at the polyketone with universal qualifications and its applications.
Disclaimer: All specifications and information given on this website are based on our current knowledge and experience. A legally binding promise of certain characteristics or suitability for a concrete individual case cannot be derived from this information. The information supplied here is not intended to release processors and users from the responsibility of carrying out their own tests and inspections in each concrete individual case. AKROMID®, AKROLEN®, AKROLOY®, AKROTEK®, ICX®, PRECITE® and DIA(hr)LOG® are registered trademarks of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH.
