DuPont: New nylon with added performance to subtract weight & cost in automotive products

Examples for applications of Zytel® PLUS under the hood.

A new family of nylon products from DuPont Performance Polymers – DuPont™ Zytel® PLUS nylon – delivers excellent performance levels and importantly maintains those excellent performance levels much longer than traditional nylons despite exposure to hot oil, hot air, calcium chloride and other aggressive automotive chemicals.

“Performance demands in automotive continue to increase,” said Patrick Ferronato, global marketing director -- DuPont Automotive Performance Polymers. “Zytel® PLUS nylon meets these demands with better durability while maintaining the design and processing ease familiar with nylon to invite even more opportunities to replace metal for cost and weight savings.” The new family launches with four products primarily targeted at the automotive industry where the drive to take out weight and cost adds up to improved fuel economy and reduced carbon emissions. Additional products are planned for 2010.

Whether exposed to calcium chloride or to 3,000 or 4,000 hours of hot air, hot oil, water, long-life coolant, members of the Zytel® PLUS nylon family outperform traditional nylon products on the market today, according to recent tests, which are available on line at www.zytelplus.dupont.com.

“In many cases, Zytel® PLUS nylon will be able to double the life of thermoplastic components exposed to hot, chemically aggressive and humid environments,” said Rob Palmer, r&d senior research associate -- DuPont Performance Polymers. “Zytel® PLUS nylon creates the opportunity to replace even more metal and some specialty polymers, while simplifying processing.”

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DuPont™ Zytel® PLUS nylon gets its ability to withstand long term exposure to heat and chemicals from SHIELD Technology, only from DuPont. DuPont™ SHIELD Technology combines several innovations, including a new polymer backbone, polymer modifications and a special set of additives, to enhance many performance characteristics. The exact combination and composition of chemistries are optimized for each product based on the targeted application.

The new portfolio launches with:

• Zytel® PLUS 95G35 nylon - Requisite, core product delivers exceptionally good long-term performance at very high temperatures (up to 210˚C or even 230°C for shorter periods) PLUS provides great surface appearance, resistance to calcium chloride solutions.

• Zytel® PLUS 95G50 nylon - Exceptionally good long-term performance at very high temperatures (up to 210˚C or even 230°C for shorter periods) PLUS better stiffness, creep at high temperatures.

• Zytel® PLUS 93G35 nylon - Good long-term performance despite exposure to heat PLUS improved weld lines, good performance in burst tests.

• Zytel® PLUS 90G30 nylon - Exceptional resistance to hot engine coolant PLUS excellent properties in contact with water.

More Information: www.dupont.com

DuPont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, Neu-Isenburg, Germany

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