royal dsm, a global science company, announced at the recent k 2016 trade fair in dusseldorf, germany that it is releasing a new polymer that will replace die-cast metals and high-performance thermoplastics. dsm has developed fortii® ace, a polyphthalamide (ppa) based on 4t chemistry, that will target automotive oems and others because of its chemical, mechanical, and thermal properties.

(wikimedia commons)

as automotive designers look to lower the weight of vehicles to improve fuel efficiency and meet fossil fuel standards, fortii ace could provide a blueprint for meeting that challenge.

according to a release from royal dsm, fortii ace provides linear and stable mechanical performance up to 150°c, high peak temperature resistance up to 320°c, improved chemical resistance from peek and other thermoplastics, and is “easy and robust to process.”

fortii ace has a higher glass transition temperature, the point at which a material begins to lose its rigidity and hardness, than other polyphthalamides. dsm is hopeful that fortii ace will provide a cost-effective alternative to thermoplastics.

“with fortii ace, dsm is taking an important step forward into die-cast metal replacement territory, enabling oems to replace metals in applications that have been too challenging up to now,” said konraad dullaert, global business manager for fortii at dsm.

he added, “target applications include powertrain, transmission, chassis, and thermal management applications. at the same time, many industrial applications now incorporating die-cast designs will also benefit from the properties of fortii ace as a replacement material.”

to read more about fortii ace, click http://www.dsm.com/corporate/media/informationcenter-news/2016/10/2016-10-20-dsm-launches-fortii-ace-next-generation-high-performance-polyamides.html.