Solvay wins 2022 SPE Automotive Innovation Award

RingBall Polyurethane News: PPS busbars, PPA protective covers and PPS 48V inverter modules are known for their excellent mechanical, thermal and electrical performance, cost-effective Production and outstanding sustainability were awarded.

27 October 2022, Brussels, Belgium

Three electric vehicle applications using Solvay’s high-performance specialty polymer injection molding have been honored with the prestigious Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) 2022 China-Europe Automotive Innovation Awards:

● 3rd place in the “New Mobile” category: with Ryton®
PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) insert-molded busbars ensure excellent dielectric strength and volume resistivity at the connection between the stator winding and the traction motor; at the same time, it can provide excellent resistance to thermal shock during thermal cycling performance and fatigue strength.

● 3rd place in the “Technology-enabled” category: The industry’s first protective cover molded from Amodel® PPA (polyphthalamide).
Thanks to the polymer’s excellent specific strength and design flexibility, it is possible to integrate multiple components and to withstand the corresponding mechanical loads and impact energies in the event of a crash.

● 3rd place in the “Electrical” category: with Ryton®
The PPS overmolded 48-volt inverter module combines a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of a metallic copper insert with high thermal and thermal shock resistance, and the material has virtually zero water absorption.

“Over the past few decades, our high-performance specialty polymers have successfully provided high-efficiency solutions for automotive applications that contribute to lightweighting, fuel savings and cost savings. Today, these polymers are used by OEMs
The accelerated transition to electric vehicles has created the conditions, and our story of innovation continues. ” Georges, Executive Vice President, Transportation Marketing, Solvay
Houtappel said. “Compared to similar products on the market today, including metals and thermosets,
Our materials offer exceptional design freedom, performance benefits and sustainability. We warmly congratulate our customers who took advantage of these award-winning applications and put them into production. ”

21st SPE
The winning application of the Sino-European Automotive Innovation Award fully demonstrates the great potential of Solvay Specialty Polymers. They can help automakers successfully meet new challenges in mechanical, thermal and electrical fields. Most notably, in the field of electric vehicle applications, Solvay is currently working closely with leading OEMs and component suppliers at all levels to jointly develop a variety of new grades of products, striving to provide innovative drive motors, electrical components and components. Applications such as battery technology offer solutions that perform better, are more cost-effective to manufacture and process, and are more sustainable. In addition, Solvay is used in production in the United States
Power from PPS and PPA polymers, 100% renewable, seeks to help customers minimise indirect CO2 emissions (Scope 3).

Amodel® and Ryton® are registered trademarks of Solvay.

‘New Mobile’ Category: 3rd Place

Designed by GM, assembled by LG Magna e-Powertrain (Korea), Ryton® by Interplex (China)
R-4-240NA Insert injection molded motor busbar. This part is used to provide electrical connections from the stator windings to the traction motors of electric vehicles, while maintaining proper electrical isolation in the AC connection assembly. The R-4-240NA grade can satisfy the General Motors Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq
High-temperature environmental requirements for electric vehicle motors, including maintaining high dielectric strength and volume resistivity at elevated operating temperatures. This unique Ryton®
Another important reason the PPS grade was chosen is that it provides excellent thermal shock resistance and long-term fatigue resistance during thermal cycling (-40°C to +200°C). Additionally, thanks to Ryton®
PPS has improved elongation and excellent bond wire strength, enabling greater design flexibility in the insert overmolding process.

Technology Enablement Category: 3rd Place

Amodel® AS1145 HS by Bogo Corporation (Mexico)
BK injection-molded protective cover. The module’s integrated injection molding design is an industry first, mainly due to the excellent strength-to-weight ratio of the specialty material. This component is capable of withstanding high mechanical loads and impact energies in the event of a vehicle crash. Amodel®
PPA can also optimize various parts of the part to withstand the aforementioned loads and stresses with the required design flexibility, while helping manufacturers reduce weight and assembly by integrating the unique design into a unified module that integrates various sub-components cost.

“Electronics” category: 3rd place

Ryton® PPS R-7-190 by Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany)
BL overmolded 48 volt inverter module. This complex component integrates various copper inserts and requires a sophisticated bonding process. In addition, the unique product design ensures that parts do not break during demolding and verification. Selected Ryton®
PPS grades offer perfect machinability for this application, including excellent weld line strength and a coefficient of thermal expansion very similar to copper. This grade achieves UL94 without additional flame retardants
V0 fire rating. This feature is extremely important in electrical and electronic applications to minimize the risk of mold fouling. Except during thermal cycling (-40°C
Thermal shock resistance to +200°C), and the material’s own chemical stability is also excellent. Compared with nylon (PA) resin, its water absorption is extremely low and almost zero.