Conductivity is achieved by using conductive soot instead of carbon and glass fibre
Tuesday, 09/17/2019
GRAFE, Blankenhain, has developed an electrically conductive PA6 with very good mechanical properties and will present it at K 2019. “The conductivity is achieved through the use of conductive soot. No glass fibres are used to reinforce the material and no carbon fibres are used to achieve electrical conductivity. This makes our compound less expensive, because the absence of fibers makes it much more cost-effective,” explains GRAFE sales manager Lars Tonnecker.
The compound, marketed by GRAFE under the name Percolen PA 4300 EC, is outstanding due to its high stiffness and excellent toughness. ” The mechanical properties are balanced with very good electrical conductivity,” says Tonnecker. ” Our Percolen PA 4300 EC is very easy to process and has a lower density than similar systems which are reinforced with glass and carbon fibers.” In addition, the compound has a higher elongation behavior than PA carbon fiber compounds.
Typical applications are, according to the sales expert, housing parts, covers, etc. and boxes for electronic components. “Areas of application are first and foremost mechanical engineering and the automotive sector. Ultimately, the compound is suitable for all applications, for which the mechanical properties of polyamide are required,” he explains. Further applications such as antistatic equipment for many technical areas, including devices and systems in clean rooms, office furniture in the medical field, packaging, housing components and technical parts in explosion-protected areas are just a few examples.
Polyamide has numerous positive properties, with their being only a slight variation between the individual types. They are generally strong, hard and stiff, while displaying high heat resistance. They exhibit excellent sliding friction behaviour (also dry running), due to the low abrasion and the low coefficient of friction. Good electrical properties and excellent chemical resistance to solvents, oils, greases, fuels, weak alkaline solutions, boiling water and ketones are also important.