EoW September 2008

technical article

rates. HFDA-1492 NT is readily extruded using existing equipment. An on-size pressure die with short land or double taper is recommended ( Table 2 ). Currently available in formulations that meet North American specifications, this family of high heat compounds will continue to expand to meet the needs of customers in other regions. In Europe, for example, DowWire & Cable is very familiar with the needs of the market segment and is developing and testing next generation irradiated solutions for T3 and other regional specifications. n

Graph 1 ▲ ▲ : Commercial automotive compound compared to HFDA-1492 NT

automotive industry SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) standards for auto- motive applications as well as Underwriters Laboratories Inc (UL) specifications for appliance wires. Specifications for appliance wire : Approved for ApplianceWiringMaterial • (AWM) UL 44 SIS • UL 758 AWM style 3173 for 125°C • Class 38 requirements • Specifications for automotive wire (under-the-hood, 125°C rated): SAE J-1128 primary cable • SAE J-1127 battery cable • Many global manufacturer standards • Physical properties HFDA-1492 NT is a colourable, peroxide- crosslinkable, RoHS-compliant (restriction of hazardous substances) polyethylene

copolymer insulation compound. The new material is approximately 4% lighter than traditional materials used for automotive applications and it delivers more output per pound, offering system cost benefits as well ( Table 1 ). Designed to provide cables that are more flexible with lighter weight and improved colour retention, HFDA-1492 NT also has a low specific gravity of 1.35 to help reduce the consumption of compound per cable length and is showing a 20-50% improvement in line speeds on customers’ existing equipment. The new insulation also features low scorch for more protection during changeovers and low head pressure. Processing data A broad processing window, from 105°C to 135°C also supports potentially higher line

Kurt Bolz DowWire & Cable Weston Canal Center 1 Riverview Avenue Somerset, NJ 08873 USA Email : bolzka@dow.com

Compound

Flex Modulus (psi)

UNIGARD RE HFDA-1492 NT

13000=

Fax : +1 732 271 7949 Erik Groot-Enzerink Dow Europe GmbH Bachtobelstrasse 3 Horgen 8810 Switzerland Email : gdgrootenzerink@dow.com Fax : +41 44 728 3100 Peter Dreux DowWire & Cable

Commercial Automotive Compound

18600

Table 1 ▲ ▲

Scorch Time

Commercial Automotive Compound

UNIGARD™ RE HFDA-1492 NT

Ts1 @130 o C (min)

49

74

1636-44 Route 38, Suite 297 Lumberton, NJ 08048 USA Email : dreuxpc@dow.com Fax : +1 609 518 6411

Ts1 @135 o C (min)

scorch

48

Table 2 ▲ ▲

68

EuroWire – September 2008