Global
Automotive
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.
Engineering Plastics and Polyurethanes
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.
Engineering Plastics and Polyurethanes by BASF can be used for many electric and electronics car parts – also in electric vehicles and driver assistance systems for autonomous driving
BASF plastics for automotive E/E applications
Ultramid® (PA)
Ultramid® is a material that has become firmly established in almost all areas of automotive electrics and electronics. Ultramid® allows extremely robust designs required for wire-to-wire connectors. The good processability helps to produce complex connectors, latching and locking systems. The Ultramid® product range offers tailor-made materials for large and complex components such as fuse and relay boxes. For sensor applications, Ultramid® has established itself as a robust and versatile housing material. It is used, for example, for oil sensors or wheel speed sensors.
Ultradur® (PBT)
Because of its special combination of properties, Ultradur® is an ideal material for many applications in automotive electrics and electronics. Of particular significance is the low water absorption and thus the fact that the mechanical and electrical properties are largely independent of moisture content or climatic conditions. Ultradur® is established as the first-choice material for electronic control unit (ECUs) housings by all the leading manufacturers and OEMs around the world, also in transmission control units of automatic transmissions. Ultradur® is indispensable as housing material for sensors. The range of applications extends from pressure or temperature sensors and mass air flow meters to acceleration and steering angle sensors.
Ultrason® (PSU, PESU, PPSU)
BASF’s Ultrason® grades are amorphous thermoplastics characterized by a very high heat resistance. Their special qualities are high dimensional stability as well as good, largely temperature-independent electrical and mechanical properties. Ultrason® is inherently flame-retardant. Many grades meet UL 94 V-0 without any additive. This property profile and its good electrical insulating capacity, high heat aging resistance and good resistance to hydrolysis, make Ultrason® particularly suitable for components which are subjected to high stresses over a wide temperature range from -50 °C to +180 °C. BASF offers unreinforced grades, which are transparent and thus quite unique for engineering plastics.
Ultraform® (POM)
The special feature of Ultraform® is the ideal combination of strength, stiffness and toughness, which derive from its chemical structure. Owing to its high crystallinity, Ultraform® is stiffer and stronger than other engineering plastics, especially within the temperature range from 50°C to 120°C. Ultraform® shows no transformation between the low glass-transition temperature of approximately -65 °C and the melting temperature of approximately 170 °C. This results in constant mechanical properties over a wide temperature range.
Elastollan® (TPU)
Elastollan® is available in a hardness range of approx. 35 Shore A to 83 Shore D. It is characterised by high wear and abrasion resistance, high tensile strength and excellent tear propagation resistance, very good damping capacity, very good low-temperature flexibility as well as high resistance to oils, greases, oxygen, UV and ozone. This combination of properties has made Elastollan® very successful, even in very demanding applications in automotive electrical and electronic systems. The application scope ranges from simple grommets to complex housing seals and sheathing for high-voltage cables.
Elastofoam® (PU)
Elastofoam® are flexible integral foam systems based on polyurethane. It is widely used in vehicle electrics, predominantly in the production of cable sets and wiring harnesses, and also as a material for encapsulating connectors, for embedding entire wiring harnesses in foam and as a material for grommets and sleeves.
Cellasto®
BASF uses Cellasto® to produce vibration control components and semi-finished products, e.g. spring aids, top mounts and spring isolators, which are also suitable for vehicles with alternative drive concepts. Cellasto® is particularly well suited to meet the vibration demands of electromobility. It is compact and efficient, flexible and durable as well as lightweight with good damping properties. Thus up to 30% weight reduction with optimum damping and insulation properties are possible.
BASF plastics for electromobility
Many e-mobility 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.
Battery systems of hybrid and electric vehicles
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.
Safe and reliable high-voltage plug-in connectors
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 e-mobility.
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.
Wide Product Range
We offer a comprehensive range of products with a broad variety of property profiles. Find the right product for you!
