Safe and comfortable automotive electrics and electronics
Engineering Plastics and Polyurethanes from BASF enable innovative solutions for automotive electrics and electronics. Both material groups are indispensable when it comes to safety, comfort and energy efficiency in modern vehicle concepts. Innovation in automotive design is significantly driven by electrical, electronic and mechatronic systems. Recent driver assistance systems, networked and electric mobility will accelerate this development even further.
From the simple fuse to modern power electronics - there is hardly an electrical application that does not rely on plastics. In fact, through high-performance plastics these applications have often become safe and economical. Where electricity flows, our engineering plastics and polyurethanes show outstanding electrical as well as good mechanical properties and a high dimensional stability under heat. They guarantee electrical insulation and a high heat deflection. Engineering plastics such as Ultramid®, Ultradur® and Ultrason® can reduce fire risk in the event of an electrical defect or exposure to external sources of ignition. The soft integral foam Elastofoam® and the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) Elastollan® enable modern and reliable cable solutions from the single conductor to the entire harness.
In automotive electrics, extremely high requirements such as resistance to media and weathering as well as heat ageing resistance have to be fulfilled – for all of these demands there is the suitable material from BASF. Other recurring topics are miniaturization and weight saving which can be achieved with plastics like Ultramid®, Ultradur® and Elastollan® (TPU). BASF plastics help to suit processing technologies and manufacturing processes to mass production and keep them cost-efficient. On top of that, they enable the components to meet the high-quality standards of the automotive manufacturers.
Many eMobility solutions can only be implemented reliably and efficiently by using highly versatile plastics. For the dynamic market of electric and hybrid vehicles, BASF is expanding its range of engineering plastics and polyurethane systems. Thus BASF helps our customers to find the best material for many of these new and demanding applications. Our experts assist in developing new solutions and concepts as well as putting them into practice.
The key to the success of electromobility will be how quickly the performance, capacity, weight, safety, reliability and above all these, the manufacturing costs and economic efficiency of the battery systems can be further improved. BASF plastics can make a vital contribution to optimizing the system as a whole and enabling mass production that is economically viable.
BASF offers tailor-made Ultramid® and Ultradur® grades for equipping vehicle-interior and -exterior high-voltage plug-in connectors with precisely fitting characteristics. The special polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate grades meet the demands on flame retardance, color stability, mechanics, and electrical isolation. Thus they allow automotive manufacturers to save on weight and installation space around the battery and at the same time help to improve safety in eMobility.
Engineering Plastics for radar sensors
Sensors in vehicles are important helpers for the driver and indispensable components in the development of future mobility. Radar, lidar, IR or ultrasonic sensors – they are a basic prerequisite for the automatic control of the vehicle. With Ultradur® HR, a hydrolysis-resistant polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and the Ultramid® EQ polyamide (PA) for sensitive electronic applications, BASF is already contributing to sensor technologies.
We offer a comprehensive range of products with a broad variety of property profiles. Find the right product for you!