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DuPont Engineering Polymers is unveiling a new solution to warpage and flow problems in producing under-the-hood electrical components at the Society of Automotive Engineers’s 2005 World Congress here this week.

“New DuPont™ Zytel® HTNLW5035HS high performance polyamide has everything it takes for rugged, reliable electrical control boxes, connectors and other parts,” said Paul Kane, a senior development specialist for DuPont Automotive.

Ultra-low warpage.   This facilitates part assembly and enhances design freedom as well.   In comparative testing, test samples made of new Zytel® HTN resin warped two-thirds less than parts made of another candidate resin, an alloy of nylon and polyphenylene ether (PPE) polymers.  Part warpage of the new Zytel® HTN grade was also more than 50 percent less than that of two low-warp grades of glass-reinforced PBT.  The tests were conducted using edge-gated discs measuring 2 mm thick by 100 mm in diameter.

Easy flow during molding.   This increases design freedom for thin-wall parts and improves molding productivity, according to Kane.   In molding the test discs described above, the low-warp Zytel® HTN grade filled the mold with 30 percent lower peak pressure than the nylon-PPE alloy.  Compared with the three PBT resins evaluated, peak fill pressures ranged from 50 to 60 percent lower.  

Another molding benefit is that the low-warp Zytel® HTN resin can be molded in water-temperature-controlled tooling, an important advantage over materials requiring oil for mold temperature control.

Excellent toughness and strength.   The new Zytel® HTN resin also excels in mechanical properties.   Its elongation, highly desirable in snap-fit designs, is 25 percent higher than that of the nylon-PPE grade, both measured by ISO method 527-1/-2.  As for impact resistance, often crucial in electrical boxes, the new Zytel® HTN resin exhibits a 50 percent higher value than the nylon-PPE grade.  Both tests were conducted with dry as-molded specimens.

The combination of high flow, low warpage, good stiffness and impact resistance of Zytel® HTNLW5035HS provides the key characteristics needed for under-hood automotive electrical boxes.

Zytel® HTNLW5035HS also offers excellent strength and stiffness, which are crucial for pull-out resistance in connectors.  In addition, it exhibits outstanding retention of properties in the demanding heat and humidity conditions of USCAR Class 3 and Class 4 testing.

For more information about DuPont™ Zytel® HTN, please visit plastics.dupont.com on the Web or call DuPont at 800-441-0575.

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