Ticona Engineering Polymers, a leader in non-halogenated thermoplastic polyester (PBT) development, today announced that Molex Incorporated chose a PBT from the newly enhanced Celanex® XFR® portfolio to give an existing electronic connector line a cost effective, eco-friendly upgrade that will comply with anticipated environmental laws and regulations and meet industry requirements.
“Molex decided to upgrade its three-year old SPOX™ Blind-Mate Interface (BMI) connector because our customers are looking for non-halogen products that will give them ‘green solutions’ for their electrical and electronic designs,” said John Luthy, product manager at Lisle, Ill.-based Molex, a leading global interconnect supplier. “To meet our customer needs, as well as our internal Eco-care initiative, we needed a proven halogen-free, high-performance polymer that could guarantee compatibility with environmental initiatives.”
Celanex XFR 4840, with improved processability and equivalent properties that give designers and manufacturers a cost-effective option for use in eco-friendly electrical and electronic components, met all the Molex environmental and performance criteria. Celanex XFR 4840 enabled Molex to replace a competitor’s PBT without having to modify the SPOX BMI design.
SPOX BMI connectors, with self-aligning features in one of the smallest blind-mate packages available, are used in fan-tray assemblies, low-current blind-mating applications and lower-current power supply applications. The unique low-profile design consists of header (male connector) that always has been molded in inherently flame resistant Vectra® liquid crystal polymer (LCP) E130i from Ticona and the receptacle (female connector that contains socket contacts) that was previously molded in a non-Ticona unfilled PBT and is now in Celanex XFR 4840.
“The Ticona team worked with Molex to evaluate several materials for this application; halogen-free nylon 4/6 was too corrosive and PBTs offered by competitors were too brittle,” said Michelle Brand, global account manager for Ticona. “Celanex XFR 4840 met all the Molex dimensional requirements, passed terminal insertion, retention and panel mount retention testing.”
The Celanex XFR PBT series portfoliois available infilled and unfilled grades that match the flow and toughness of the brominated FR series from Ticona, a leader in non-halogenated PBT development. Celanex XFR PBT grades help customers comply with hazardous substance restrictions and waste directives such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). These directives restrict the use of certain brominated flame retardants in electrical and electronic components, key end-use applications for engineering polyesters.
With development driven by Ticona customers, the enhanced series builds on the halogen-free direction it started when the Celanex XFR range of non-halogenated FR thermoplastic polyesters was commercialized in 2004. This FR system, recognized in 2006 with a Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation Award, also is included in two newRiteflex® XFR thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPC-ET) grades.
“The enhanced Celanex XFR portfolio of non-halogenated FR PBTs fromTicona offers a very cost-effective replacement option for component manufacturers that need to help customers eliminate hazardous chemicals such as antimony, beryllium and phthalates in their product design, said Luthy at Molex.
“Although recent legislation restricts the use of certain brominated flame retardants, specifically polybrominated biphenyls (PBB) and polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDE), these flame retardants perform a vital function in the product by preventing the spread of flame and fire. The IPC (Association Connecting ElectronicsIndustries) has stated that the risk of injury or death from fires involving consumer products can be reduced 30 to 90 percent or more by using flame retardants. To maintain the fire protection for its product, Molex pursued a halogen-free initiative to require alternative flame retardant material to be substituted for the current halogen flame retardant-based material.”
