Arkema, a leader in specialty materials, has introduced new advanced materials with UL certifications for busbar insulation.
Arkema has been granted UL Yellow Card certification for two new polyamide 11 powder coating grades for use in electric vehicle battery systems and other applications. Rilsan® T Orange 7706 is a primerless fluid bed dipping grade designed to achieve high thickness (500 µm) in one dip. Rilsan® ESY Orange 7705 is a primerless electrostatic coating grade for components that require thinner insulation. Both grades achieved CTI ratings in excess of 600 volts and fire resistance class UL 94 V-0. In addition, these materials offer ease of processing due to their high level of flexibility and ability to be easily masked. Rilsan® polyamide 11 is a versatile polymer that is 100 percent bio-based (derived from castor oil). In addition to powder coating grades, Arkema provides injection molding and extrusion grade solutions for electrical insulation as well.
The development of these two new polyamide coating grades will allow designers to easily protect their electrical systems in accordance with requirements for hybrid and electric vehicles,” said Jerome Porte, global market manager at Arkema. “The new grades were launched to address specific requirements from the H/EV market due to limitations with traditional insulation materials such as epoxies.
Arkema also offers grades of Kepstan® PEKK, an extremely high-performance polymer, for electrical applications requiring temperatures too high for other polymers. Kepstan® PEKK will also provide better thermal runaway resistance compared to existing solutions. With melt temperatures in excess of 300°C, the most stringent requirements can be addressed utilizing polyaryletherketones like PEKK. Kepstan® PEKK grades offer high polarity that enables excellent adhesion to metal without a primer, a low dielectric constant (2.9) for outstanding insulation, and flexibility of manufacturing options allowing the insulation to be applied via powder coating, extrusion, or overmolding. For more information about Rilsan® polyamide 11 and Kepstan® PEKK products, please visit www.rilsanfinepowders.com and www.kepstan.com.
Rilsan® and Kepstan® are registered trademarks of Arkema.
Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and sustainable materials. With the ambition to become in 2024 a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into 3 complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials -Adhesive solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions- accounting for some 82% of Group sales in 2020, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of around €8 billion ($9 billion USD) in 2020, and operates in some 55 countries with 20,600 employees worldwide.