Mar 22 2009
At Plast 2009, an important European exhibition for the plastics and rubber industries opening on 24 March 2009, RadiciGroup is showcasing Raditer B RV300 KB and Raditer B ERV300T KB, innovative PBT products resistant to hydrolytic degradation for use primarily in the automotive and electric/electronic sectors. These industries demand components that operate correctly over a long period of time under severe environmental conditions, in the presence of humidity and at very high temperatures.
When subject to humidity and/or high temperatures, traditional PBTs tend to lose their mechanical characteristics as a result of hydrolytic degradation. The new Raditer® products, on the other hand, were formulated to pass the strictest hydrolysis testing, thus widening their field of use to include even the most critical applications.
The performance of Raditer® products was confirmed by a battery of tests carried out in the R&D laboratories at Radici Novacips, a company in the RadiciGroup Plastics Area. These tests, in which the mechanical characteristics of the new hydrolysis-stabilized PBTs were analyzed and compared with standard non-stabilized products, showed a clear improvement for the stabilized products (+50% and +60% in ultimate tensile strength, +5% and +40% in Charpy impact strength, +20% and +35% in ultimate tensile elongation). The tests also showed that, for impact-modified products, the time needed for Charpy impact strength to fall to half of its original value was more than doubled for the new hydrolysis-resistant PBT compared to the corresponding non-stabilized PBT.
The special formula developed for RADITER® B RV300 KB and RADITER® B ERV300T KB also makes these products laser-markable. (Laser marking is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional marking methods in that it does not use ink and/or solvents.) Moreover, the exceptional fluidity of these new PBT products makes them ideal for the manufacture of components with reduced thickness, such as new-generation miniature connectors.