KACO Relies on High-Temperature Fortron® PPS from Celanese to Help Solve Sealing Challenges for VW Engine Components
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Sulzbach, Germany, Florence, Ky., Shanghai, PR China – Sealing system manufacturer KACO, Heilbronn (SABÓ-Group, São Paulo) has developed an innovative sealing shim and flange that relies on high-temperature Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) from Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), the global technology and specialty materials company.
Crank case, sealing flange and oil pan: Three components meet in a small space under the hood and have to be sealed statically against one another. The flange also has to ensure dynamic sealing to the crankshaft.
A seal made from a new friction-reduced polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) compound, in conjunction with Fortron 4332L6 PPS, is used in the production of the flange. The optimized sealing shim design and the structure of the sealing flange enable considerable cost savings due to the integration of several functions in one component. The PTFE sleeve ensures dynamic sealing while a special silicone seal sprayed directly onto the flange ensures the static sealing to the oil pan and to the crank case. A plasma activation process specially developed by KACO ensures the bonding of the PPS material to the PTFE sealing shim. This ensures firm bonding of the two materials thus dispensing with the need for the wet chemical etching technique previously often used in such production steps. A previously used multi-pole wheel is replaced by a steel sensor wheel developed especially for VW. Together with a Hall sensor with a magnet it supplies additional information for engine management thus enabling start/stop technology for example.
Ideal Material Properties
Weight reduction and cost saving were the key reasons KACO chose Fortron PPS. Other important properties included:
• High temperature resistance, from -40 degrees Celsius to 150 degrees Celsius (-40 degrees Fahrenheit to 302 degrees Fahrenheit) and short-term 170 degrees Celsius (338 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Stiffness and strength
• Resistance to chemicals
• Outstanding dimensional stability and low creep
Fortron PPS has passed numerous and extensive material tests for resistance to modern engine oils that frequently include aggressive additives.
ABOUT CELANESE
Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. With sales almost equally divided between North America, Europe and Asia, the company uses the full breadth of its global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for customers and the corporation. Celanese partners with customers to solve their most critical needs while making a positive impact on its communities and the world. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2012 net sales of $6.4 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.
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Stephen Cushard
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+1-859-372-3164
Stephen.Cushard@celanese.com
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Tong.Zhao@celanese.com
ABOUT CELANESE
Celanese {NYSE: CE} is a global technology and specialty materials company that engineers and manufactures a wide variety of products essential to everyday living.
Copyright 2012 Celanese Corporation
