DuPont: Two DuPont™ Zytel® HTN PPA Products Help Tire Pressure Monitoring System Stand Up to

SmarTire Systems Inc. tapped DuPont Automotive and high performance characteristics of DuPont™ Zytel® HTN PPA and Zytel® HTN PPA SuperStructural resins for a lightweight and durable casing for SmarTire’s new externally-mounted Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) used as part of the SmartWave® system for commercial trucks.

The new SmartWave® external, valve stem-mounted TPMS uses Zytel® HTN PPA SuperStructural resin for the housing and Zytel® HTN PPA for the cap. “Protecting the SmartWave electronic sensors inside the housing is paramount and the best way to create a non-permeable seal that withstands the rigors of external road conditions is through laser welding,” said Dan Jones, assembly manager for DuPont Automotive (www.dupont.com). “Our laser-welding leadership and competency in Asia Pacific really helped ensure we create a permanent joint in this inaugural project despite the dissimilarities of the two materials.”

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Zytel® HTN PPA SuperStructural resins offer the rigidity, durability, plus impact and heat resistance required to meet heavy tire spin loads, intense pressure levels that can reach 200 PSI and heat in the brake assembly area that can reach 200 degrees Celsius. The average commercial vehicle travels one million miles in five years.

The new SmartWave® external TPMS is due to be released to the market in 2008 and offers installation benefits for retrofit applications.

“Our customers have asked for an external TPMS that can effectively provide performance cost data, is convenient to retrofit and is durable enough to withstand the harsh conditions that commercial trucks face,” said Shawn Lammers, VP Engineering, SmarTire Systems. “The reply? SmarTire’s external TPMS.”

Two of the top three commercial truck market’s financial concerns surround fuel economy and tire costs, both of which a tire pressure monitoring system can help manage. By integrating with the vehicles’ existing J1939 communications network, the system can relay vital information to the driver through a variety of display mechanisms and even communicate information remotely to a central routing depot through telematics systems.

Due to the size of the unit, the available surface area and the cost of the labeling process, as well as exposure to outside elements, the units are all laser-etched with bar code and text information. This will ensure that the units will continue to carry all of their necessary information for tracking and information purposes.

SmarTire Systems Inc. (www.smartire.com) develops and markets proprietary advanced wireless sensing and control systems worldwide under the SmartWave® trademark. The company has developed numerous patent-protected wireless technologies and advanced tire monitoring solutions since it was founded in 1987. The company’s proprietary SmartWave® platform provides a foundation for the addition of multiple wireless sensing and control applications. The initial product release on the SmartWave® platform is SmartWave® TPMS, which leverages on the company’s background and knowledge in tire monitoring solutions.

Photo: The new SmartWave® external, valve stem-mounted TPMS uses two Zytel® HTN PPA resins, and marks DuPont’s first use of laser welding to assemble dissimilar products in North America. The non-permeable seal created by laser-welding provides all-weather protection for the sensor while the Zytel® HTN PPA surround is heat resistant and durable. SmarTire tapped DuPont™ Zytel® HTN PPA SuperStructural resins for its external tire pressure monitoring system housing because it can provide the high-level of structural rigidity and the durability needed to withstand hightemperature, impact and corrosive elements.

DuPont de Nemours (Deutschland) GmbH, Bad Homburg v.d.H., Germany

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