Source: Solvay
LYON, France – Solvay Performance Polyamides’ new and advanced Technyl® Max polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6) technology was chosen by Carbody, expert in safety and sealing solutions for the automotive industry, to develop its all-plastic brake pedal.
Designated ‘Skeleton’, the revolutionary pedal concept made in Technyl® Max replaces conventional steel design with a lightweight hybrid structure.
“Automotive OEMs and Tiers are increasingly looking for high rigidity materials to substitute a range of metal components for the lightweighting of new energy vehicles,” commented Gérald Durski, Marketing Director for Solvay’s Performance Polyamides. “It was a great opportunity for us to co-design Skeleton in close partnership with Carbody, demonstrating the performance of our brand new highly-filled Technyl® Max”.
Skeleton features a rod-shaped composite structure which is over-molded with 60 percent glass filled new Technyl® Max technology. This provides the Skeleton brake pedal superior fracture resistance under loads up to 3.000 N and even maintain its operational safety beyond that limit. In regards, the average force applied in case of emergency brake is around 500 N.
“The strength of this new Technyl® Max was instrumental in maximizing lightweighting for our unique pedal concept,” explained Loïc Lefebvre, R&D Expert at Carbody. “We have been relying on Technyl® team’s expertise in metal replacement for many years; their upgraded HUB advanced service platform is a key differentiation lever to optimize design and performance for demanding safety parts.”
In addition to car pedal systems, the new Technyl® Max targets semi-structural components such as transmission and motor mount cross beams, air shutter grills and seat structures. Its low density offers significant weight savings over typical die-casting metals at comparable tensile strength. This is of importance for applications in EVs which require even greater rigidity and fatigue resistance due to higher frequencies.
This co-development is backed by the Technyl Force extensive experience in metal replacement. Unveiled at K 2019, HUB by Technyl® is a unique platform – which includes MMI® Technyl® Design1 predictive simulation – that connects together advanced services to provide customer innovation with enhanced capabilities and synergies for eco-design agility and cost optimization.
