New PA66 available for tough automotive applications

The new product range, called Radilon, could see use in radiator tanks, thermostat housings, and water hoses, among other applications. The materials are designed to perform when in contact with water and glycols at temperatures that may reach up to 135°C in continuous operation.

Radici also supplies other types of polyamide as well as polyester, polyacetal copolymers, thermoplastic elastomers, and polyolefin compounds; it is represented globally.

The Radilon range for car cooling systems comprises Radilon A RV300 RKC, a standard hydrolysis-resistant 30% glass-fiber-filled material; Radilon A GV HO 30P sw E4, designed for critical applications; Radilon A RCV3015 RKC and Radilon WIT 30/28, materials suitable for gas injection technique (GIT) and water injection technique (WIT) molding.

According to the supplier, the Radilon A GV HO 30P sw E4 material is especially formulated for components operating under severe conditions such as high temperatures and/or pressures. A thermostat housing located at the engine head would be an example.  Radici says the material already has been approved by a number of end users, making it a potential replacement for metals and plastics such as such as polyphthalamide (PPA) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). The material has maintained its properties in testing up to 3000 hours at 120°C. In leakage tests under pressure in a tank joined to its cover by vibration welding, it performed comparatively to PPA, says Radici. —[email protected]