Do You Know Which High - Temperature Resistant And Highly Flame - Retardant Nylon Materials Are Used in New Energy Vehicles?

Do You Know Which High - Temperature Resistant And Highly Flame - Retardant Nylon Materials Are Used in New Energy Vehicles?

In the new energy vehicle materials industry, high - molecular materials cover plastics, rubbers, organic silicon materials, and carbon - fiber composites. To avoid safety risks in high - voltage systems, these materials must be both high - temperature resistant and highly flame - retardant.

Leading chemical manufacturers like Solvay, DuPont, Celanese, Clariant, and Ascend have launched flame - retardant polyamide solutions. These are used for EV powertrain components and battery applications, enhancing motor safety and efficiency.

With excellent heat resistance, chemical resistance, strength, and processability, PA66 is widely used in automotive parts, including electrical and body components. It can be found in vehicle air horns, air - conditioning hoses, cooling fans and their housings, inlet pipes, brake tanks, and filler caps. Body parts include fenders, rear - view mirror frames, bumpers, dashboards, roof racks, door handles, wiper brackets, seat belt buckles, and various interior trim pieces. PA66 is also used in electric windows, connectors, fresh - air boxes, and cable ties within the vehicle.

I. PA6

PA6 boasts superior mechanical strength, stiffness, toughness, wear resistance, and shock absorption. Its excellent insulation and chemical resistance make it widely used in automotive and electronic parts.

1. Signal Light Bases

Signal light bases are exposed to light and potential impacts. PA6 meets the requirements for impact resistance and toughness. PA6 + GF is commonly used in screw adjustments and brackets in signal lights.

2. Chassis Components

Like signal light bases, chassis components need to withstand light exposure and impacts. PA6 provides the necessary impact resistance and toughness. PA6 + GF is a common choice for screw adjustments and brackets in signal lights.

3. Charging Pile Casings

Research on charging pile materials is intensive. Charging piles must endure various conditions. In northern outdoor areas, they need to withstand low temperatures. They must have good flame retardancy to prevent fires, be non - conductive, and have high weather resistance. PA is a semi - transparent or opaque milky - white particle with excellent comprehensive properties. Its mechanical strength, stiffness, shock absorption, and wear resistance are remarkable. It also has good electrical insulation and chemical resistance, making it a top choice for charging piles.

4. Battery Casings

Most battery boxes are made of PA materials, mainly PA6. However, unmodified PA6 has a low limiting oxygen index (20% - 22%) and a flame retardancy rating of only UL 94 V - 2, falling short of the strict requirements of new energy vehicles.

II. PA66

Compared to PA6, PA66 has better mechanical strength, stiffness, heat resistance, wear resistance, and anti - creep performance, but its impact strength and shock absorption are worse. PA66 is widely used in automotive, drone, and electronic fields.

1. Connectors

Electronic connectors require modified nylon with high fluidity, toughness, heat resistance, and ease of processing. The materials for terminal blocks are general - purpose flame - retardant PA6 / PA66. For coil bobbins, which require high strength, toughness, and heat resistance, the applicable materials are PA66 + 15% - 30% GF (HB, V0 flame - retardant grade PA66 + 30% GF, V0 flame - retardant grade PA66).

III. PA12

PA12 combines the properties of polyamides and polyolefins due to its high - toughness agents. It features a high decomposition temperature, low water absorption, and excellent low - temperature performance. It's mainly used in automotive fuel pipes, instrument panels, accelerator pedals, brake hoses, and electronic electrical noise - reduction components, as well as cable sheaths.

IV. Long - Fiber - Reinforced PA6

Long - fiber - reinforced PA6 is comparable to metals and is suitable for complex automotive module parts. Take the instrument panel beam as an example. It connects directly to the body, bears and transmits the load of in - car equipment and decorative parts, and works with other safety components to form the cockpit safety system, significantly affecting vehicle handling and safety.

V. Glass - Fiber - Reinforced PA66

Glass - fiber - reinforced nylon is strong, wear - resistant, corrosion - resistant, and insulating. It's widely used in new energy vehicle charging components, such as battery boxes and AC motor housings. In the automotive industry, glass - fiber - reinforced PA66 is used in various parts like engine hoods, doors, instrument panels, and seats. Common glass - fiber - reinforced PA66 materials include PA66 + 10% glass fiber for interior parts and PA66 + 30% glass fiber for exterior parts. It can also be used for electronic throttle controller housings, which send acceleration and deceleration signals based on pedal position.

VI. Polyamides Enhance EV Safety

To reduce the weight and space of high - voltage components in new energy vehicles, flame - retardant plastics are indispensable. Polyamides can be processed by injection molding, extrusion, and pressing, making them suitable for manufacturing complex automotive parts. Currently, polyamide materials are mainly used in battery module casings, connectors, charging components, and interiors of new energy vehicles.

For battery module casings, shock absorption and thermal management are crucial to protect batteries from external impacts. Under high - voltage systems with instantaneous pulses over 800 V, flame - retardant polyamide materials are a better choice for battery module casings to prevent self - ignition or vehicle leakage caused by high temperatures or voltage breakdown. For example, the new EV battery module casing Durethan BKV30FN04, jointly developed by Lanxess and Infac, uses halogen - free, flame - retardant, glass - fiber - reinforced PA6. It can withstand 800 V and has excellent flame retardancy.

Automotive connector contacts are made of metal and have a high number of insertions and extractions. They require good flame retardancy and heat resistance. Currently, PA6 and PA66 polyamide materials are commonly used for connectors. Polyamides are good insulators at room temperature, with high dielectric strength and arc - resistance. They are suitable for connectors that need to be wear - resistant and insulating.

In addition to battery modules and automotive connectors, zip ties and fasteners also need to be made of flame - retardant materials. Polyamide materials can maintain excellent performance at high temperatures. According to relevant data, the operating temperature of PA6 and PA66 compounds can reach up to 120℃. Moreover, polyamide materials exhibit good fatigue resistance. Zip ties and fasteners made of polyamide materials do not affect their ductility and mechanical properties.

VII. Conclusion

According to incomplete statistics, the global demand for polyamide materials is growing at an annual rate of 3%. In 2023, PA production capacity continued to increase, with new facilities from China Chemical Tianchen QiXiang, Hunan Petrochemical, Jiangsu Hongsheng, etc., adding 350,000 tons of capacity within the year. It is expected that by 2030, the adoption rate of new energy vehicles globally will reach 45%. More and more automakers are using sustainable materials for parts production, which is also an important factor driving the growth of the polyamide market.

As new energy vehicles develop rapidly, polyamide materials are gaining wider automotive applications and growing demand. To boost flame retardancy of polyamides in this field, YINSU Flame Retardant Company's products offer an optimized solution.

YINSU's red phosphorus flame retardants such as 950 - 1, 750A, PA-50 can enhance nylon's flame retardancy. It also has antimony trioxide replacement T series and composite antimony flame retardants T30. These products meet the demand for eco - friendly and efficient flame retardants. Adding them to nylon materials raises the flame retardancy rating, making the materials suitable for key auto parts and ensuring vehicle safety. They satisfy the material safety and reliability requirements of new energy vehicles, expand polyamide applications in this industry, and promote continuous development of the new energy vehicle sector.