Plastics compounder Teknor Apex (Pawtucket, Rhode Island / USA; www.teknorapex.com) has launched a series of high-heat glass fibre-reinforced PA 6.6 compounds that are said to offer comparable performance to competing materials. The “Creamid” 240 H7.5 compounds, with a glass fibre content of 35%, 50% or 60%, display dramatically improved property retention compared with similarly glass-filled standard PA 6.6 compounds, and also offer equivalent capabilities to high-performance polymers such as polyphthalamide (PPA) or PA 4.6, but at a 30% per kg lower cost, the company said.

Hartmut Elsässer, global director of technology for engineering thermoplastics, added that additional cost savings were achievable during processing as the materials exhibit lower melt and mould temperatures than rival PA 6.6 compounds. The Creamid compounds have processing temperatures in the range of 280-300 °C, rather than 330-350 °C for PPA or PA 4.6, and mould temperatures of 80-110 °C compared to 130-150 °C.

Teknor Apex recommends the compounds for automotive under-the-hood applications, such as charge air cooler end caps and air intake manifolds, among several others. Other possible applications include electronic connectors, diode carriers and bobbins as well as consumer products such as lamp sockets and connectors.

“While metal-replacement continues to drive demand for polyamides in the automotive market, performance-boosting technologies such as turbocharged engines and advanced transmission systems place stricter requirements for heat resistance, chemical resistance and reduced water absorption,” said Markus Krippner, director of sales and marketing. He added that the new series exhibits flow properties that readily accommodate complex or thin-wall parts, or the long flow paths that are often required for replacing metal.