RadiciGroup, Röchling Automotive Jointly Develop Blow-Molding-Grade Polyamide for Turbo Pipe Application

A new product for turbo pipes was presented during the 21^st Plastic Materials Congress

At the 21st Plastic Materials Congress, entitled “Chiedilo alla Plastica” [Turn to Plastics], held on 17 November in Varese, Italy, RADICIGROUP PERFORMANCE PLASTICS introduced its latest innovation, a new blow-moulding-grade polyamide capable of standing up to continuous exposure to hot air at temperatures of up to 230°C. The material was developed for, and in collaboration with, RÖCHLING AUTOMOTIVE. Such a high level of heat resistance opens up new opportunities in the metal replacement field, where parts are subjected to severe environmental conditions.

The new material belongs to RadiciGroup’s RADILON^® range of polyamide engineering thermoplastics, products that have a wide variety of uses in the automotive, electrical/electronics, industrial goods and consumer goods sectors.

The RADILON^® range includes both traditional formulations and, as in the case of the RÖCHLING AUTOMOTIVE partnership project, specialties with high innovative content, such as polyamides for continuous operation at high temperatures, materials specifically designed for metal replacement applications and materials featuring excellent resistance to chemical agents.

The new product is a copolymer with a semi-aromatic component, which, in combination with other additives used to retard the thermal oxidation process, endows the material with very high heat resistance properties. Furthermore, the formulation ensures high melt strength and good blow-mouldability.

Trials and validation tests performed in the RÖCHLING AUTOMOTIVE laboratories have allowed for quantifying some of the advantages of the new product:

• Weight reduction: 15%
• Reduced energy consumption in production: 5-7% (lower process and mould temperature)
• Less expensive moulds (moulds last longer thanks to the lower abrasion of PA compared to PPS)
• Enhanced impact resistance compared to PPS (Charpy un-notched impact strength at 23°C: + 72%; Charpy notched impact strength at 23°C: + 52%)

For the automotive industry – where there is a very clear trend towards smaller but more powerful engines, lower CO₂ emissions, longer vehicle useful life and less under-the-bonnet space –, the new PAs must be designed to provide good heat resistance at high temperatures, good processability and competitive pricing.

The know-how acquired by RadiciGroup Performance Plastics in the field of polyamide engineering plastics and its synergistic collaboration with the RadiciGroup Chemicals Business Area, enables the compounder to take on these challenges and offer concrete solutions to the market demand for innovation, customization, flexibility and performance.

Commenting on the collaboration with RÖCHLING AUTOMOTIVE to develop turbo air pipes to be used by a major car manufacturer, Erico Spini, Marketing and Application Development Director Europe of RadiciGroup Plastics, stressed that “collaboration and continual interaction with our customers give rise to customized products that are unique and able to ensure the best performance and best characteristics for any specific application need”.

Marco Barbolini, intake systems project manager of Röchling Automotive, expressed his satisfaction with the RadiciGroup Performance Plastics partnership: “We are very satisfied, because we found RadiciGroup to be an excellent partner in the development of a new material which fills a gap in the market offering and combines high performance characteristics with high heat resistance, while maintaining the good processability that is typical of polyamides.”

Source: http://www.radicigroup.com/