EoW September 2008

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EuroWire – September 2008 68
technical article
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
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
Compound Flex Modulus (psi)
UNIGARD RE HFDA-1492 NT 13000=
Commercial Automotive Compound 18600
Scorch Time Commercial
Automotive
Compound
UNIGARD™ RE
HFDA-1492 NT
Ts1 @130oC (min) 49 74
Ts1 @135oC (min) scorch 48
Kurt Bolz
DowWire & Cable
Weston Canal Center
1 Riverview Avenue
Somerset, NJ 08873 USA
Email:
Fax: +1 732 271 7949
Erik Groot-Enzerink
Dow Europe GmbH
Bachtobelstrasse 3
Horgen 8810 Switzerland
Email:
Fax: +41 44 728 3100
Peter Dreux
DowWire & Cable
1636-44 Route 38, Suite 297
Lumberton, NJ 08048 USA
Email:
Fax: +1 609 518 6411
Graph 1 ▲ ▲ : Commercial automotive compound compared to HFDA-1492 NT
Table 2 ▲ ▲
Table 1 ▲ ▲