Extremely low moisture uptake, excellent toughness and dimensional stability at high temperatures.
April 1, 2021 – BASF is now expanding its polyphthalamide (PPA) portfolio by a new Ultramid® Advanced N grade that is especially suited for connectors post-processed with surface mount technology (SMT). Ultramid® Advanced N2U40G7 shows the ideal balance of high flowability, toughness and flame retardancy. It thus enables miniaturisation with thin-wall structures at high power and data throughput in electronic applications. Due to its low moisture uptake and high heat deflection temperature, the BASF PPA is especially suitable for SMT processes in electronics manufacturing as it prevents blistering or changes in dimensions of the processed part. BASF delivers the new PA 9T grade in tailor-made colours of high stability and supports with its proven flame-retardant expertise and material know-how for the SMT process. Because of its exceptional property profile, the new Ultramid® Advanced N grade enhances the robustness, performance and reliability of power and data connectors in consumer electronics such as computers, laptops, servers, smart phones as well as smart household appliances and wearable devices.
"More data, less space – put in a nutshell, this is the major trend in consumer electronics. Smaller and thinner parts have to be incorporated into even more compact designs to save assembly space while at the same time the power and data flow rates increase", says Ivy Fang, head of business development Asia for PPA at BASF. "Thus, the requirements on materials used grow, especially with respect to temperature and mechanical properties. Our new Ultramid® Advanced is especially suited for such applications as it can withstand higher temperatures while maintaining its mechanical strength. It meets the heat distortion temperature above 260°C necessary for SMT which is often applied in electronics manufacturing today." The low moisture uptake of Ultramid® Advanced N2U40G7 guarantees a high dimensional stability and avoids blistering during the SMT process. In order to provide customers with the best-performing solution for high-precision applications using SMT, BASF has expanded its testing facilities by a simulation oven which imitates SMT processing circumstances.
The new application development service is complemented by BASF's competencies on flame-retardant materials and colouring of PPAs: The new high-flow material can be used to manufacture extremely thin-wall connectors, has a V-0 rating at 0.2mm (UL94) and satisfies JEDEC Level 1 blistering test standards. The material with a comparative tracking index (CTI) of 600 V also shows excellent insulating properties in presence of humidity and chemicals which leads to higher safety under hash operating conditions. Ultramid® Advanced N2U40G7 can be supplied in tailor-made colours, e.g., orange, blue, white, yellow and black. This supports color correlation for safety reasons or component distinction often required in the E&E industry. The new PA 9T grade exhibits good colour stability during post-processing with SMT compared to other benchmark materials in E&E applications.
