Ultradur® connectors
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Ultradur® (PBT) – The polybutylene terephthalate for high-quality components

Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)

Ultradur® is BASF’s brand name for its line of partially crystalline, thermoplastic, saturated polyesters derived from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). They are employed as materials for high-quality technical components in many industry sectors.

Ultradur® connectors

Ultradur® shows its strengths wherever high-quality and above all heavy-duty parts are required – for example in the automotive industry, in the electrics and electronic sectors. The range of applications which benefit from these properties of Ultradur® in both industry and everyday life is vast. A feature that is particularly important is the low water absorption and thus the fact that the mechanical and electrical properties are largely independent of the moisture content or the climatic surrounding conditions. Particularly for components that are safety-relevant and have to work reliably for the entire lifetime of a component, Ultradur® is indispensable.

 

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Benefits

Key advantages of Ultradur®

  • High rigidity and strength
  • Very good dimensional stability under heat
  • Low water absorption
  • Good resistance to many chemicals
  • Exceptional resistance to weathering
  • Excellent heat aging behavior
ultradur automotive sensor cover

Focus topic: Plastics for wallbox applications

If you want a relaxed drive with your electric car, you better have a charging station at home. Function and safety are decisive criteria here, but optics and design are also becoming more and more important. In the Wallbox Demonstrator, BASF is showing some plastic materials that are ideally suited for certain application points in a wallbox and that cover the high requirements in the wallbox sector particularly well thanks to their product performance.

Wallbox RSW Teaser

Flame retardant Ultramid® and Ultradur® – for contact carriers, switches, charging guns, charging inputs

Based on non-halogenated flame retardant additives, both materials have a UL94-V0 flame retardant classification and are easy to color. The low content of halides counteracts contact corrosion.

Ultramid® B3GK24 – for mounting brackets, frames and housings

Ultramid® Deep Gloss – for covers

Ultramid® Vision – for displays

Elastollan® – for cables, hoses and wires

Ultradur® product range (PBT, PBT+ASA, PBT+PET)

The most important applications of Ultradur® are automotive engineering, electrical engineering, electronics and telecommunications as well as precision engineering and general mechanical engineering. For these applications, a variety of Ultradur® types is available.

Unreinforced Grades 

The Ultradur® range includes a variety of PBT grades which differ in their flow properties, demolding and setting behavior. The unreinforced grades are used for parts with very good surface quality, with applications ranging from packaging film to filigree connectors in electrical engineering and functional parts such as gear wheels.                    More

Reinforced Grades

Ultradur® demonstrates the full potential of its positive properties in a wide range of glass-fiber reinforced grades. Ultradur® types with different glass-fiber contents are available on demand as standard, including types with a glass-fiber content of over 50 %. Processed to molded parts, these Ultradur® grades are key players in assemblies that withstand high mechanical stress even at elevated temperatures, such as in the engine compartment of cars.

In addition to the pure PBT/glass-fiber compounds, the range of reinforced grades also includes glass-fiber reinforced PBT blends which have been further optimized with regard to surface quality and dimensional stability. Well-known manufacturers of electronic assemblies have confidence in the reinforced Ultradur® grades as a housing material because of its outstanding performance profile and high consistency of product quality.                                            More

Reinforced Ultradur® grades with enhanced flow properties

With the innovative Ultradur® High Speed grades, it is possible not only to fill intricate molds, but also to significantly reduce cycle times compared with standard materials. These particularly economic Ultradur® High Speed grades have different glass-fiber contents and are also available as PBT/ASA blends, the S 4090 grades.                                          More

Reinforced Ultradur® grades with particularly low warpage

Reinforced Ultradur® grades with particularly good hydrolysis resistance

Reinforced Ultradur® grades with outstanding laser transparency

Flame-retardant grades

Ultradur® for applications in contact with food and drinking water

Ultradur® for medical applications

Ultramid® granulate in Durable Orange
Products for high voltage connectors

With the Ultramid® DC grades (Durable Color), BASF is expanding its portfolio of engineering plastics for the eMobility market – even in the flame-retardant sector. High technical requirements from the industry require innovative solutions based on PA66 and PA6. In the case of already proven Ultradur® (PBT) products, color stability can be largely guaranteed, especially in orange (RAL 2003) which is in high demand in the industry. Laser markability is partially possible.

Conventional polyamides, however, tend to strong color fluctuations or yellowing during heat aging. 

Properties of Ultradur®

Coffee capsules made of Ultradur

The Ultradur® grades are polyalkylene terephthalate molding compounds based on polybutylene terephthalate. Ultradur® is produced by polycondensation of terephthalic acid or dimethyl terephthalate with 1,4-butanediol using special catalysts. Terephthalic acid, dimethyl terephthalate and 1,4-butanediol are obtained from petrochemical feedstocks, such as xylene and acetylene.

The processing of Ultradur®

Ultradur air flow sensor

Ultradur® can be processed by all methods known for thermoplastics. The main methods, however, are injection molding and extrusion. Complex moldings are economically manufactured in large numbers from Ultradur® by injection molding. The extrusion process is used to produce film, semi-finished products, pipes, profiled parts, sheet and monofilaments. Semi-finished products are for the most part machined further by means of cutting tools to form finished moldings.

 

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More Information
All information in one place: From technical articles, case studies and brochures, to data sheets and certificates.

Ultradur® application range

The applications are as manifold as its product properties: Explore the various application possibilities of Ultradur®!

Successful customer projects
Proven in practice: These case studies demonstrate the successful use of Ultradur® in customer projects.

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We offer our customers a comprehensive range of services with leading technologies and products. Find the service that matches your needs!

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