FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, GERMANY — Auto-makers' quest for light-weighting, with the search for materials with improved technical properties, has led Lanxess to introduce two new nylon 6 grades.
Durethan BKV 60 XF is an upgraded version of the DP BKV 60 H2.0 EF.
The XF, reinforced with 60 percent glass fibers, displays 30 percent improved melt-flowability while offering a comparably high quality set of mechanical properties.
“That is especially the case for very thin-walled applications. With our high-tech plastic, processors can achieve wall thicknesses of 1 millimeter or less, meaning they can easily fabricate high load-bearing structural parts with thin ribbing,” said Stefan Theiler, specialist for highly reinforced polyamides at Lanxess.
Another advantage of this engineering material — which also permits laser marking — is its improved resistance to thermal ageing.
The second material development is a nylon 6 marketed under the name Durethan BG 60 X XF. It is reinforced with 60 percent of a special mixture of glass fibers and glass microspheres. Its stiffness and strength are similarly high to those of Durethan DP BKV 60 H2.0 EF.
“The unique feature of this material is that its shrinkage is significantly more isotropic, and components therefore hardly tend to warp at all,” Theiler said.
“We see major application opportunities in thin-walled, high-stiffness back shells for tablet PCs, but also in automotive interiors. Initial manufacturing trials with mass production molds already have confirmed that the material can deliver these advantages, along with improved surface qualities,” Theiler said.