AKROLOY® PA –New opportunities for designin plastics

AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH
Member of the Feddersen Group

AKROLOY® PA Series (PA 6.6 + PA 6I/6T reinforced)
AKROLOY® PA –the alternative forinnovative products
made fromengineering plastics
The subject of metal substitution,
based on the demand for cost andweight reductions, has been discussed for many years in many sectors of the industry. In the last 10years special synthetic materials
have begun to emerge as a feasible
solution as a substitute for metal
die-casting, even stamped and bent
parts, particularly in the automotive
industry, but also in sanitary installations and general machine building.
In order to fulfill those requirements AKRO PLASTIC GmbH hasdeveloped the new innovative product AKROLOY PA® – a special blend– based on PA 6.6.
The table at right and the information on the following pages demonstrate the technical data andpossibilities for many innovative
applications that in the future may
be implemented in designs using
engineering plastics instead ofmetal.

Typical values forblack colored products at 23 °C

Test
Specification

TestMethod

PA GF 30

Unit

Mechanical PropertiesPA GF 40(2718)

PA GF 60

PA GF 50(2845)(2844)(2706)

d.a.m.

cond.

d.a.m.

cond.

d.a.m.

cond.

d.a.m.

cond.

Tensile modulus

1 mm/minISO 527-1/2

MPa

10,50010,00013,00012,00017,50016,50021,00020,000Tensile stress at break

5 mm/minISO 527-1/2

MPa

210

180

230

200

250

220275245

Elongation at break

5 mm/minISO 527-1/2

%

333

3

3

3

2.5

2.5

Flexural modulus

2 mm/minISO 178

MPa

9,300

12,00016,40020,000Flexural strength

2 mm/minISO 178

MPa

265

325

380

405

Charpy impact strength

23 °C

ISO 179-1/1eU

kJ/m²

80

Charpy impact strength-30 °CISO 179-1/1eU

kJ/m²

65

Charpy notched impact strength

23 °C

ISO 179-1/1eA

kJ/m²

11

Charpy notched impact strength-30 °CISO 179-1/1eA

kJ/m²

10131514

HB 961/30

ISO 2039-1

MPa

240

265

290

330

IEC 60093

Ohm x mBall indentation hardness

80

9590

80
10105

100

95

14

14100

95

90

17171616Electrical Properties
Volume resistivity
Comparative tracking index,CTIPermittivity

Test solution A

IEC 60112

1 MHzIEC 60250

600600

600

600

4.42

Thermal Properties
Melting point

9.1 E13d.a.m.

d.a.m.

d.a.m.

d.a.m.

DSC, 10 K/min

ISO 11357-1°C

255

255

255

255

Heat distortion temperature, HDT/A

1.8 MPaISO 75-1/2°C

215

220

225

225

Heat distortion temperature, HDT/B

0.45 MPa

ISO 75-1/2°C

245

245

245

245

CLTE, flow

23 °C – 80 °C

ISO 11359-1/2

1.0E-4/K

0.20

0.15

0.15

0.15

CLTE, transverse

23 °C – 80 °C

ISO 11359-1/2

1.0E-4/K

0.75

0.70

0.65

0.55

Temp.index for 50 % loss of tens.strength

5,000 hIEC 216°C

140 – 150

140 – 150

140 – 150

140 – 150

Temp.index for 50 % loss of tens.strength

20,000 hIEC 216°C

110 – 130

110 – 130

110 – 130

110 – 130

Flammability acc.UL 94

0.8 mmUL 94

ClassHB

HBHB

HB

Rate acc. FMVSS 302(<100 mm/min)> 1 mm thickness

FMVSS 302++++

23 °C

ISO 1183

g/cm³

1.38

1.48

1.59

1.72

ISO 1172%30405060

Flammability

General Properties
Density

Moisture absorption

70 °C/62 r.h.

ISO 1110

%

1.55

1.30

1.05

0.80

Water absorption

23 °C/satur.

ISO 62%

4.5 – 54 – 4.5

3.5 – 43 – 3.5+ = passed

Processing“cond.” test values = conditioned, measured on
test specimens stored according to ISO 1110

Flowability

Flow spiral1

AKROmm

760

660

540470

Processing shrinkage, flow

ISO 294-4

%

< 0.1

< 0.1

< 0.3

< 0.3

Processing shrinkage, transverse

ISO 294-4

%

0.6

0.6

0.5

0.5

“d.a.m.” = dry as moulded test values = residual
moisture content < 0.10 %2

Reinforcement content

1 = mould temperature: 100 °C
melt temperature: 320 °C
injection pressure: 750 barcross section of flow spiral: 7 mm x 3.5 mm

3Product Characterisation
AKROLOY® PA

Creep behaviour depending on load

N (CH₂)₆ N C (CH₂)₄ CH

H O+O x

H OO

H O

N (CH₂)₆ N CC

N (CH₂)₆ N CH

Hn

3.5

CO mp

Failure range

90 MPa @ 23 °C

3.060 MPa @ 60 °C

Aging curve 802.5350

Al Alloy 226 A

Strain �%�

max. recommended elongation after 10,000 h

1.5

AKROLOY® PA GF 50

Zamak 51.0300
2500.5200+ 45 %

15000.1100

1101001,00010,000Time �h�50
0-20 °C

23 °C
Temperature �°C�Comparison of mould output
with metal alloys

80 °C

Min.
Max.

Number

1,5 Mio.

1,000,000
900,000
800,000

Factor
1.5 to 5

700,000
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000

By blending of PA 6.6 with a partially aromatic CoPA (PA 6I/6T), it ispossible to significantly reduce theinfluence of moisture on the product characteristics. While the drop
in rigidity and strength of PA 6.6 GF
50 in a standard climate is still atapprox. 25 %, a partially aromatic
blend nevertheless exhibits a dropof less than 10 %. Furthermore, itbecomes apparent that the toughness remains virtually unaffected.
As a result of these findings, theswelling behaviour is improved, aswell, which is favourable for dimensional stability. At the same time,
this material mix also increases theglass transition temperature range.
All in all, partly aromatic PA 6.6Blends offer exactly the characteristics that are demanded by designers and users.

Stress-strain diagram
300

250
23 °C

200
Stress �MPa�

Applications that up to now havebeen manufactured of die cast metals, usually involve extremely highdemands on synthetic materials,
running contrary to the above mentioned disadvantages. Even high levels of reinforcement in standard
polyamides on the basis of PA 6
or PA 6.6 with, for example, 50 % or
60 % glass fibres, still exhibit drasticchanges in mechanical characteristics.

2.0

Comparison of tensile strengthwith metal alloys

Tensile strenght �MPa�

One of the most characteristic properties of polyamide (PA 6.6) is theabsorption of moisture. This essentially leads to increased toughness
and elongation at break, to namethe most important parameters. Onthe other side, there are important
diminished design properties, suchas rigidity, strength and creep modulus. It is also clear that the watermolecules diffused into the polymer
require a certain space, so that thedimensional stability suffers, as well.

°C60 °C

15080 °C

100

50

100,000
0Alu

Zinc

1 = technical thermoplastics – glass fibre

4TTP-GF1

0

TTP-hGF2

2 = technical thermoplastics – high filled glass fibre

The measuring values shown in all diagrams
apply to the material AKROLOY® PA GF 50
black (2706)

012

3456Strain �%�

5Processing Recommendations
θ5

θ4

θ3

θ2

θ1Applications

θ6P holdτP back< (-30) °C

AKROLOY® PA is based on a semicrystalline PA 6.6 and an amorphous CoPA. This essentially determines the processing conditions.
Accordingly, the melting point ofAKROLOY® PA is at approx. 255 °C
and is not influenced by the CoPA.
With increasing temperatures, theamorphous contents provide a disproportionately low viscosity. The
result is a very good reproductionof mould surfaces and a mass temperature that is up to 30 °C lower
than required by comparable products. This results, aside from highquality surface finishes, frequently
in reductions of cycle times, as well.
Owing to production conditions,this must be verified in each individual case. Overall, AKROLOY® PA represents a step towards energy savings, in particular, when energy
costs are compared to those in metal production and processing.

AKROLOY® PAFlangeθ140 – 80 °C

Sector 1 – Sector 4

θ2270 – 310 °C

Nozzleθ3

290 – 310 °C

Melt temperatureθ4290 – 320 °C

Mould temperatureθ580 – 130 °CDrying

θ680 °C, 2 – 4 hHolding pressure, spec.

P hold300 – 800 bar

Back pressure, spec.

P back50 – 150 bar

Injection speed

Draft for the automotive industry:
CAD-Model „Control Arm“ made in AKROLOY® PA GF 60

middle – highThe specified values are for reference values. For increasing filling contents the higher values should be used.
For drying, we recommend using only dry air or a vacuum dryer. Processing moisture levels between 0.05 and 0.1 %are recommended.It is recommended to use opened bags completely.Material processed from silo or boxes requires
a minimum drying time of 4 h.

Shear viscosity of AKROLOY® PA GF 50 (2706)
10,0001,000

Viscosity �Pa · s�

AKROLOY® PA can be processed on
any commercially available injection moulding machine with standard screws according to the recommendations of the machine
manufacturer. Please refer to thesketch and table beside for our recommended machine, mould anddryer settings.

Automotive Industry• ignition key switch housing• door handle components• door lock components• instrument panels(centre console)• arm rests• electric motor housings• carriers for wood decor strips• seat sliding mechanisms
Sanitary Installation• single lever taps
• water filter housings• housing for bath tap• chrome-plated shower heads,levels

100T = 277 [°C]

10Due to increasing cost pressure inmany industrial sectors, AKROLOY®
PA will become a very interestingalternative material in the area ofsubstitutes for metal die casting.
Aside from already mentioned advantages in the service life of themould, the omission of post processing allows an average cost reduction of up to 50 % – and more. Thefollowing list comprises imaginable
and suitable areas of application,grouped by segments. Naturally,
there is a multitude of further feasible applications, which we would
be glad to discuss with you.

Construction• window locks• door lock components• expanding nails
for insulating plugs• corner connectors
for lighting systems• shelving support elements
Household• handles• coffee maker components• juice extractor components• knives and handles• bottle openers• nutcrackers

Electronic Industry• mobile phone housings• plastic tongs• housings for measuring units• carrier platesMachine Building• plastic screws• calipers• screw clamps

T = 292 [°C]T = 307 [°C]T = 322 [°C]11101001,000Time �1/s�

610,000

100,000

Disclaimer: All specifications and information given in this brochure are based on our current knowledge and experience. A legally binding promise of certain characteristics or suitability for aconcrete individual case cannot be derived from this information. The information supplied here is not intended to release processors and users from the responsibility of carrying out their owntests and inspections in each concrete individual case. AKRO®, AKROMID®, AKROLEN®, AKROLOY® and AKROTEK® are registered trademarks of the Feddersen Group.

7

We will bepleased to meet you!

AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH
Member of the Feddersen Group

Here you can findthe latest versionof our brochure:

For more locations, visit www.akro-plastic.com

03/2015

Industriegebiet Brohltal Ost
Im Stiefelfeld 156651 Niederzissen
Germany
Phone: +49(0)2636-9742-0
Fax:+49(0)2636-9742-31
info@akro-plastic.com
www.akro-plastic.com