CHICAGO (July 22, 9:40 a.m. EDT) — Officials of nylon producer Ube Industries Ltd. introduced at NPE 2003 in Chicago its new Sunbesta composite designed for automotive fuel line systems, and a nylon 12 compound.
Ube worked with Asahi Glass Co. Ltd. to develop a two-layer fuel system application, which the two Toyko-based companies said combines the strength of Ubesta nylon 12 resins with the barrier properties and chemical resistance of the fluoropolymer ethylene tetrafluoroethylene.
Fuel lines made with Sunbesta also maintain adhesion between layers, with no need for a separate adhesion layer. The lines carry gasoline from the fuel tank to the engine. A modified Fluon ETFE material is used as the inside layer.
Ube also said its new Ecobesta composites for fuel lines use nanocomposites — extremely fine, clay particles dispersed into a nylon matrix.