Lightweight Polyamide Replaces Traditional Metal End Caps

Together with global automotive supplier Hanon Systems, BASF has developed a component that replaces traditional metal end caps and reduces weight by 40%.

Lightweight intercooler end caps made of BASF’s high temperature Ultramid® polyamide further enhance automotive engine performance and fuel efficiency. Andy Postlethwaite, senior vice president of Asia Pacific for BASF’s Specialty Materials Division, said that 75% of fuel consumption is related to the weight of the car, so weight reduction is still critical for today’s automakers, and the demand for composite polymers is expected to replace metals. Will continue to grow. Ultramid improves engine performance, lowers production costs, and helps automakers meet China’s increasingly stringent emissions standards.

Due to the excellent long-term heat aging resistance of Ultramid A3W2G10 under pressure fluctuation conditions, Hanon Systems applied it to the intercooler end cap for the first time in the Chinese market. This grade has excellent strength and hardness at high temperatures, improves weld strength, and is easy to process and has excellent surface quality. It is also widely used in thermal management systems.

 

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