Reliable, High-Strength Celanex® XFR® PBT From Ticona Helps HVAC Supplier Deliver Eco-Friendly Control System
Florence, Ky., Kelsterbach, Germany, July 17, 2009 - Kieback& Peter, a Berlin-based supplier of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and system solutions, relies on Celanex® XFR® for the housing of its new miniature actuator. The thermoplastic polyester (PBT) from Ticona Engineering Polymers complies with UL 94 V-0 and is flame-retardant without halogens or antimony - a basic requirement for worldwide distribution of the products.
"Current environmental and recycling regulations form an integral part of comprehensive technical specifications when selecting materials for complex components today," said Heinz-Günter Onken, Application Engineer, K.D.Feddersen GmbH & Co. of Hamburg, Germany.
Onken recommended a Celanex XFR PBT grade with 20 percent glass fiber reinforcement for the power-operated assembly used to actuate a fitting / valve. In addition to flame-retardancy, Celanex XFR PBT from Ticona also provided this specific application with:
o Good mechanical properties in snap fit hooks, and tear and over tightening strength in screw domes
o Superior electrical properties
o Compliance with Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directives
o Colorability in the company's standard light grey
Complex Components Molded Of Celenex® XFR® PBTs
Berlin-based Kieback & Peter relies on Celanex XFR PBT grade with 20 percent glass fiber reinforcement for the power-operated assembly used to actuate a fitting / valve. The thermoplastic polyester (PBT) from Ticona Engineering Polymers complies with UL 94V-0 and is flame-retardant without halogens or antimony - a basic requirement for worldwide distribution of the products.
"Through tried and tested collaboration with K.D. Feddersen, our strategic distribution partner in Central and Northern Europe, we help the customer refine their products and develop new markets," said Gunther Reitzel, Sales & Distribution Manager Europe with Ticona.
By the time the new miniature actuator was ready for serial production, the Ticona engineering thermoplastic still had to pass an extensive series of tests.
"Together with the Berlin-based design department of Kieback & Peter," Onken said, "we developed mathematical models of the effective forces such as screw torque and pull out torque and recommended ways to optimize the manufacturing process, which were then implemented in the factory in Trier."
Added KarstenKrause, Head of Mechanical Development, Kieback & Peter: "Following the optimization process and subsequenttesting, we were able to approve all three force transmitting components - baseplate, housing and flange - for production with the materials recommended by the distributor."
Innovative and reliable raw materials used to manufacture these components are a basic prerequisite for Kieback & Peter, a company with international operations that produces exclusively in Germany.
Celanex is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic polyester that can be used in environments up to 140 degrees Celsius and is the material of choice for high-quality molded engineering parts subject to high stress. These include components for the electrical, electronics and automotive industries and household appliances as well as gears, bearings and other sliding elements used in precision engineering and mechanical engineering applications.
Ticona Enables Eco-Friendly Innovation
Ticona is a solutions-driven company and is well positioned to help develop eco-friendly innovations. For the ever-increasing demands of the electronics market, Ticona has a broad product line that complies with the RoHS directive, which limits the use of heavy metals and brominated flame retardants such as polybrominatedbiphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE). The materials allow original equipment manufacturers to comply with WEEE, which imposes costly separation requirements for recycling, energy recovery or disposal of products containing brominated fire-retardants. TheTicona product line (www.ticona.com/halogenfree) of "Polymers For Eco-Friendly Innovation(TM)" includes:
o Celanex XFR PBT- UL V-0 and RoHS compliant with a proprietary flame-retardant system, the enhanced Celanex XFR PBTs will allow customers to use them as a virtual "dropin" replacement for most similarly available PBTs without having to modify designs, build new molds or make significant tooling changes.
o Vectra® liquid crystal polymer (LCP) - Inherently flame resistant, UL94 V-0, and halogen-free without additives, Vectra LCP is a family of high-performance polymers based on patented Ticona technology. Introduced 22 years ago, the product line has evolved to include innovative grades that keep pace with market needs for thinner walls, higher temperature resistance, higher production rates, lower overall part costs and recyclability.
o Riteflex® XFR thermoplasticpolyester elastomer (TPC-ET) - The only TPC-ETs on the market that have a V-0flammability rating at 1.5mm thickness for all colors, the new grades - Riteflex XFR 440 (Shore D Hardness of 40) and Riteflex XFR 440 (Shore DHardness of 55) - help customers comply with hazardous substance restrictions and waste directives.
o Fortron® polyphenylenesulfide (PPS) - Satisfying the UL94 V-0 flammability rating without the addition of flame retardants, Fortron PPS is ideal for use in applications where exacting electrical properties are required, making it a material ofchoice for making connectors, switches and other applications such as jigs used in semiconductor production and testing.
About Kieback & Peter
Kieback & Peter is a leading supplier of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and system solutions as well as facilities management systems. Over the past several decades it has established itself as a supplier of high quality and innovative control systems engineering for HVAC applications and computer-aided facilities management technology. Wherever control systems require high precision, reliability and flexibility, the company offers innovative drive technology solutions. The application area covers the entire field of facilities management as well as industrial operations and classical heating, ventilation and air conditioning applications.
About K.D. Feddersen
Part of the Feddersen Group, K.D. Feddersen GmbH &CO. KG is based in Hamburg, Germany, and specializes in the distribution of engineering thermoplastics. With more than 50 years of experience, the company's highly competent sales organization provides qualified technical expertise and customer-focused service to the plastics processing industry.
K.D. Feddersen Norden AB, established in 1981 as Material depån Norden AB, has been part of the Feddersen Group's Plastics Distribution division since 2007. In additionto engineering thermoplastics, K.D. Feddersen Norden AB is also a distributor for plastics processing machinery and offers the associated training courses. Besides its main office in Hamburg, K.D.Feddersen GmbH also has branch offices in Paris, Värnamo (Sweden) and Shanghai along with numerous other sales offices. The European location for the development and production of engineering thermoplastics and masterbatches is the group's own AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH in Niederzissen, Germany, with its subsidiary AF-COLOR. In the Asian market AKRO-PLASTIC is represented with a production site in Suzhou, China. For further information please visit www.kdfeddersen.com.
About Ticona and Celanese
Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, produces and markets abroad range of high performance products, and posted net sales of $1.06billion in fiscal 2008. Ticona employs approximately 2,000 individuals at production, compounding and research facilities in the USA, Germany, Brazil and China. For more information, please visit www.ticona.com or www.ticona.cn (Chinese language).
As a global leader in the chemicals industry, Celanese Corporation makes products essential to everyday living. Our products, found in consumer and industrial applications, are manufactured in North America, Europe and Asia. Net sales totaled $6.8 billion in 2008, with approximately 65% generated outside of North America. Known for operational excellence and execution of its business strategies, Celanese delivers value to customers around the globe with innovations and best-in-class technologies. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company employs approximately 8,350 employees worldwide. For more information on Celanese Corporation, please visit the company's website at www.celanese.com.
