Application of PBT engineering plastics in automobile field

With the development of lightweight cars, the amount of plastic in cars is increasing day by day.  Among all kinds of plastics used in automobiles, the development and application of butanediol terephthalate (PBT) engineering plastics in automobiles has always been the focus of automobile industry and plastic industry.

PBT, as crystalline saturated polyester, crystallizes quickly and is easy to form. Melting point up to 225℃, good heat resistance; Low water absorption, good dimensional stability; Low friction coefficient, wear resistance; Good chemical, solvent and weather resistance; Good bending creep; High flame retardant level; Through a variety of modification processing means can be obtained to meet the different functional requirements of a variety of automotive parts modified PBT materials, coupled with its excellent performance, so that a variety of toughened, filled, enhanced PBT and PBT alloy materials have been widely used in the automotive, and there are constantly new technologies and applications.

PBT engineering plastics in automotive interior and exterior decoration and electrical specific applications include: ashtray, door lock system, car mirror, door handle, car light frame, bumper, wiper, fuse box, connector, ignition system, car light socket, etc. Automotive interior materials should have high temperature resistance, low gloss, high weather resistance and other outstanding properties; External decoration in addition to the requirements of interior decoration function, but also requires high strength, high toughness, environmental conditions and impact resistance performance; Electrical components require material flame retardant, insulation.

(1)   Automotive ashtray: for its flame retardant, temperature resistance needs, the material can use high flame retardant modified PBT, thermal variation temperature up to 200℃.

(2)   Car handle: the handle is not only the function of opening and closing the door, but also the decoration of thermoplastic door handle. Glass fiber reinforced PBT can be used, with weather resistance, chemical resistance and high stiffness.

(3)   Car door lock system: car door lock system requires polymer material with good rigidity and dimensional stability, and doors and Windows frequently rise and fall lead to higher ambient temperature, modified PBT engineering plastics excellent rigidity, high temperature resistance, is the ideal engineering plastics in this field.

(4)   Car headlight frame：

As a functional exterior decoration, headlamp decoration ring has become an important part of automobile personalized design. According to the car lighting ring use environment, long-term use, light distribution, wall thickness and assembly and other aspects of the particularity, usually requires that the material must have high heat resistance, low fog value, high surface gloss, high rigidity and toughness and other properties.

Headlamp frame can be reinforced with 30% glass fiber PBT, because it has high thermal deformation temperature, good adhesion with glass metal, high bending strength. With high temperature resistance, high strength, high rigidity, dimensional stability and creep resistance. This special material has good process ability, good apparent quality of products, less visible fusion lines, good fluidity so that it is suitable for making car headlight frame of complex shape, short molding time, and can be mixed with most plastic colorants, other additives and fillers, easy to use.

（5）Headlight shell: Headlight is a vehicle lighting tool, can be divided into front headlights, rear headlights, turn signal, license plate lights, etc.. Headlights play an important role in the safe running of vehicles. Headlamp shell material should have high heat resistance, high strength.

（6）Car mirror shell

（7）Car window shell

（8）Radiator grille: Radiator grille is an open part for cooling the engine, located in the front of the car body. PC/PBT has high low temperature impact strength, and strong corrosion resistance of automotive chemicals, with its processing of automotive radiator grille easy to paint.

（9）Car bumper: The bumper is one of the main exterior parts of a car. The material is required to have high impact, excellent cold resistance, good shock resistance. The ordinary car bumper unobstructed impact resistant PP as base material, and in the high-end brand car bumper applications, generally adopts the PBT/PC alloy of high performance as a bumper base material, the material has high impact strength, higher than the same type PP material, can very good absorption due to the impact of the collision energy, is a car has higher security.

（10）Wiper handle bracket: Glass fiber reinforced PBT can be used for windshield wiper handle, which has the characteristics of high stiffness, weather resistance and chemical resistance.

（11）Car fuse box

（12）Automobile ignition coil shell: Glass fiber reinforced PBT, with higher mechanical strength, better dielectric properties, better temperature resistance. It can meet the requirements of stress cracking resistance (with metal inserts), dimensional stability and good electrical insulation of the ignition system housing.

（13）Headlamp socket: high rigidity, temperature resistance and excellent dimensional stability.

（14）Automobile terminal

In recent years, THE excellent cost performance of PBT engineering plastics has shown more and more obvious advantages, especially in the automotive field of non-stressed parts to replace metal materials, replacing modified nylon, polycarbonate and other high-performance engineering plastics has a strong competitiveness, bright prospects.