Akulon Ultraflow

Akulon® Ultraflow® offers improved flow, fast cycling behavior, and excellent surface appearance.  Akulon Ultraflow is an easy to process PA6 that offers up to 80% improved flow and up to a 40% reduction in injection molding cycle times with no significant effect on mechanical properties compared to standard PA6 grades.

The improvement of flow is the result of DSM Engineering Plastics’ proprietary technology which translates into important customer benefits like the increase of profitability through lower system costs by:

• Decreasing cycle time resulting in lower production costs
• The use of thinner wall thicknesses which allows for the use of less material
• Increased number of tooling cavities, leading to lower production costs
• Molding parts on lower tonnage machines, resulting in improved manufacturing flexibility

Other benefits include:

• Improved surface appearance, eliminating the need for painting
• Increased design freedom (lower wall thickness for parts with long flowpaths)
• Better scope for metal replacement
• A problem solver due to lower molded-in-stresses and warpage reduction

Spiral flow length of Akulon Ultrafow at 260°C (500°F) and 1400 bar.

Productivity gains through improved processing advantages
Akulon Ultraflow can reduce cycle time up to 40%.  This is possible due to shorter injection and holding times, faster crystallization rates, and lower processing temperatures. Lower processing temperatures also equate to lower energy costs.  The improved flow of Akulon Ultraflow provides the possibility to reduce clamping forces, utilizing lower tonnage machines and adding more cavities per mold. These effects may reduce piece part price and improve competitive cost positions. The table below illustrates an example of cost savings through cycle time realized with Akulon Ultraflow.

Product cost analyses calculation demonstrating the cost effectiveness of a cycle time reduction of 53 to 33 seconds realized with Akulon Ultraflow.

Lower system costs through improved surface appearance
The use of Akulon Ultraflow results in better surface appearance than standard PA6 grades.  This may allow for the elimination of secondary surface treatments like lacquering or painting and generally leads to lower part reject levels. Designing parts, like engine covers, with long flow lengths and thinner wall thicknesses allows for additional cost reduction opportunities.  The improved flow properties of Akulon Ultraflow enables easier filling of challenging designs. Akulon Ultraflow  delivers properties comparable to standard PA6 and PA66 grades.  Akulon Ultraflow is a solution provider for many demanding applications like engine covers,intake manifolds, automotive exterior mirror shells, furniture, and power tools.

The following pictures demonstrates the dramatic improvement in surface appearance that Akulon Ultraflow offers over standard polyamide 6.

Akulon Ultraflow increases your metal replacement options
Akulon Ultraflow is a good alternative for metal applications. The highly reinforced Akulon Ultraflow K-FGH0 and K-FGH12 grades offer great opportunities for metal replacement. Depending on actual part design, Akulon Ultraflow can lead to substantial cost savings compared to metal solutions. Weight and noise reductions with Akulon Ultraflow may lead to the creation of more value in the rest of the value chain.  In addition, a potential added benefit when replacing metal is part consolidation.

The surface appearance of parts made of Akulon Ultraflow 50-60% glass reinforced grades is comparable to parts in standard 30% glass reinforced PA6 grades. This superb surface appearance, especially true for highly reinforced grades in thin walled parts, is due to better wetting out of the glass fibers. Akulon Ultraflow requires lower injection and holding pressures thereby reducing the risk of molded-in stresses, resulting in less warpage. Akulon Ultraflow increases the freedom of design due to the possibility of combining higher glass loadings with thinner wall sections resulting in the same stiffness and dimensional integrity.

Akulon Ultraflow increases your options to replace high temperature thermoplastics
Akulon Ultraflow offers cost savings in substituting 30–40% glass filled PPS or aromatic polyamides in applications where these products have been selected for their combination of stiffness and/or appearance at operating temperatures above 100°C (212°F). At these temperatures Akulon Ultraflow K-FGH0 or K-FGH12 can provide stiffer, tougher, and better looking parts than these more expensive engineering plastics.

Tensile strength after heat aging at 150°C (300°F).