Introduction to PBT of engineering plastics

Polybutylene terephathalate (PBT) is a kind of crystallinity obtained by polymerizing dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and 1,4-butanediol (1,4-Butanediol). Thermoplastic engineering plastics. Due to the growth of the -CH2 chain of the PBT resin, the molecular chain is easily deflected, so the glass transition temperature is lower than that of PET, and the crystallization rate is increased. The chemical structure is as follows:

PBT was successfully researched by Celanese in the early 1970s and listed under the trade name of Celanex. Then, world famous manufacturers such as BASF, Bayer, GE, Ticona, Toray, Mitsubishi Chemical, Taiwan Xinguanghe, Changchun Synthetic Resin, South Asia Plastics The company has successively put into production, and there are more than 30 global manufacturers.

PBT can also be called thermoplastic polyester plastic. It is suitable for different processing industries. Generally, it will add additives or blend with other plastics. With different proportions of additives, different specifications can be manufactured. More than 100 kinds, so PBT is a product with a small amount and a large number of specifications. Because PBT has heat resistance, weather resistance, chemical resistance, electrical properties, low water absorption and good gloss, it is widely used in electronic appliances, auto parts, machinery, household goods, etc., and PBT products are related to PPE, PC, POM, PA, etc. are collectively referred to as five general-purpose engineering plastics.

PBT is the shortest-used engineering plastics in the world, but it is the earliest engineering plastics on the island. Due to the low level of process technology, it is easy to master the investment. It was first produced and sold by Xinguang Hefei in 1987. For the first time, PET/PBT was produced. In 1989, Changchun Petrochemical Company began production and sales, while South Asia Company began production and sales in September 1990.

At present, there are very few materials specified by OEMs of PBT resin. Therefore, the dependence on imports has been decreasing year by year, and 80% of them are blended by adding glass fiber. Therefore, the dosage has a rapid increase trend. The proportion of glass fiber added ranges from 10% to 50%, with 30%. Due to price guidance, the proportion of raw and auxiliary materials is about half of the use. In the aspect of blending ingredients, the three major manufacturers are Shin Kong, Changchun and South Asia. A few are pure materials, or the manufacturers import raw materials, and mix and match the glass fiber. In recent years;

The situation of importing PBT-FRTP directly from foreign countries is below 10%. Although the production capacity of PBT resin on the island is sufficient to supply the island market, since PBT's FRTP is mostly used for electronic and electrical parts, its quality requirements are stricter and the classification of grades is more complicated. The related industries of PBT downstream applications include automotive, electronics/electrical appliances, and machinery. The main use of PBT on the island is as electrical and electronic parts, such as connectors, bobbins, relays, switches, terminals, etc., the application rate is as high as 70%. The automobile industry accounts for 12%, and other items, including fluorescent lamp parts and skates, account for 18%, which is quite different from foreign applications. This is due to the booming development of the information electronics industry on the island, which has made the application of PBT on the island more important than information. On the parts of the electronics industry.

Its use distribution is shown in Figure-1. (1) Connector connector is a bridge between signals. It is an indispensable component for transmitting electronic signals and power connections. PBT's balanced physical properties and price are in line with the needs of connectors. PBT usually adds 30% glass fiber blending as a connector. In 2002, the output value of the island connector was as high as NT$80 billion. It is estimated that the amount of PBT consumed is about 13,500 metric tons. It is estimated that there will be about 10% in 2003. Demand growth.

At present, the plastic PBT used in the island connector accounts for 40%, followed by PPS 25%, LCP nearly 15%, and others 20% (including Nylon66, Nylon46, etc.). PBT is widely used because of its mechanical properties, solvent resistance, formability, and low price. PBT is not suitable for use on SMT type connectors due to poor solder heat resistance.

(2) The second major use of the cooling fan PBT is to use a cooling fan. The cooling fan is placed in the machine for a long time to help dissipate heat. The plastic properties require heat resistance, flame retardancy, insulation and mechanical strength. PBT usually It is applied as a cooling fan outside frame and fan blade in the form of adding 30% of fiber. At present, about 60% of the cooling fans produced on the island are used in computer peripheral equipment, followed by communication equipment, transaction machines, and working machines such as injection machines. The island's injection molding technology is good, and the peripheral industries such as mold and punch repair are well-coordinated, making Taiwan's cooling fans internationally competitive, and the proportion of export sales accounts for 50%, both domestic and foreign sales are used in the electronic information industry. (3) Bobbin The third use of PBT is as a winding in a transformer or relay.

The spool is generally injection molded with PBT and fiber 30%. The physical properties required for the bobbin include insulation, heat resistance, solder resistance, fluidity, strength, etc. Suitable materials are phenolic resin, PBT, PA6, PET. The properties of phenolic resin are good, but their formability is inferior to that of PBT. Therefore, PBT resin is used for products with small size and complicated shape. Although PBT solder has poor heat resistance, it has increased its environmental protection awareness in Europe, America and Japan. The trend of recycling PBT.

At present, the material of the island winding shaft: phenolic resin accounted for 65%, PBT accounted for 20%, and other such as Nylon6, GF-PET, PPS accounted for 15%. (4) The automobile industry consumes about 2,200 metric tons of PBT in the automobile industry. Half of the PBT is PBT/PC rubber with PC. It can be used as a car bumper. The PBT/PC bumper produced on the island is 100% exported. Europe and the United States are used in the maintenance market. Under the trend of lightweight and recyclable cars, the PP bumper is the mainstream. The PBT/PC car bumper in Europe and America has become a negative growth, making the island's orders drop year by year. In addition, PBT can also be used for window motor casings, locomotive motor parts, automotive transmission gear boxes, etc. It is estimated that the annual growth rate of applications in the automotive industry is about 2%.

(5) Other uses of other PBT, such as adding 15% glass fiber as the inner seat and outer casing of the energy-saving bulb base, PBT/PC rubber as the skate sole, and other such as relay casing, socket, switch, tuner casing.

Taiwan's PBT engineering plastics have been used in the Taiwan market for 20 years, and compared with foreign countries, it is about 5 years behind. Compared with Nylon's history in foreign countries for 55 years, and entering the Taiwan market for 25 years, the application of PBT on the island is slightly behind in comparison with foreign countries. The price of PBT sub-brand materials is relatively low and there is a large bargaining space. Trading in the Taiwan island market is quite common. The three regular PBT manufacturers on the island are affected by the sub-brand market. It has been difficult to operate for many years. It is necessary to try to reduce costs by adopting a continuous process. Table-1 shows the production capacity of each company. In recent years, the speed at which plants have expanded their production capacity has been quite fast.
Recently, the prices of crude oil and petrochemical raw materials have risen considerably. Under the current weak market conditions, PBT manufacturers usually absorb the increased costs themselves to avoid the price increase and make the market more difficult to open. However, Japan's WinTech has announced that the increase in production costs prompted the company to decide to adjust the price of various PBT products from April, domestic sales rose 25 yen per kilogram, and export sales rose 25 dollars per metric ton. The production and sales order of Japanese engineering plastics is on the track, and the PBT sub-brands are not awkward. The above-mentioned price increase will not be much resistance.

Ticona has PBT production bases in Asia, the United States and Europe. DSM has a 30,000 metric ton PBT production plant in Emmen, the Netherlands. Both companies are optimistic about the global PBT market (estimated annual growth rate of 7%) and decided to be in Europe. (With Emmen, the Netherlands most likely) set up a factory with an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons. Ticona and DSM believe that through cooperation, production costs will be reduced and global marketing networks will be integrated to increase market share.

In the International Rubber and Plastics Exhibition (IPF 2002) held in Tokyo in late 2002, Dacheng Plas of Japan published a technology aimed at the industry. The company has developed a co-molding technology of aluminum alloy and PBT. The treatment produces fine concavo-convex surfaces, and PBT penetrates into the cavities to form a tight bond with the aluminum alloy surface. The most interesting feature is that no plastic other than PBT can be tightly bonded to the aluminum alloy. This material has the function of shielding electromagnetic waves and reducing weight. It is expected that portable electronic products such as mobile phones, PDAs, and notebook computers will be developed into practical use within two years.

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