Cologne, April 2, 2021 – In the manufacture of transmission oil pans, polyamides offer numerous advantages over sheet steel or die-cast aluminum in terms of lightweight construction, cost-cutting functional integration and design flexibility. Polyamide 66 in particular has therefore found widespread use in series production of these large injection-molded parts in recent years. However, polyamide 6 is also very well suited to the purpose, as is evident from an increasing number of applications. One recent example of this trend comes in the form of a transmission oil pan made by IBS Filtran GmbH and consisting of Durethan BKV35H2.0 from LANXESS. It is part of latest-generation automatic transmissions for vehicles from various carmakers. “IBS Filtran and LANXESS have enjoyed a long-standing and successful partnership in the development of components for oil circuits in passenger cars. One of the highlights of our work together was the development of the first plastic transmission oil pan for cars,” says Babak Talebloo, key account manager for IBS Filtran at LANXESS.

Low shrinkage and easy to weld
 

Structural supply problem for polyamide 66

Over the last three years, polyamide 66 has at times become much more expensive mainly due to shortages of adiponitrile, a primary product for the manufacture of the material, and is in some cases not available in sufficient quantities. This has also prompted manufacturers of plastic components for oil circuits to seek more affordable and reliably available alternatives to polyamide 66. Polyamide 6 is a viable candidate thanks to its similar profile of properties. “For instance, in addition to car transmission oil pans, we are increasingly seeing truck oil pans and cylinder head covers made from polyamide 6 being used in series production and development,” explains Boden.

More products added to range for oil circuit components

LANXESS is expanding its range of polyamides for vehicle oil circuits all the time. Among the new additions are Durethan ECOBKV30H2.0, ECOBKV35H2.0 and ECOBKV60XF. Recycled fibers manufactured from waste glass make up 30%, 35% and 60% by weight respectively of these three polyamide 6 compounds. ecocycle, an independent inspection company, has examined the amount of recycled material in each compound using the mass balance method and awarded an ecoloop certificate in accordance with ISO 14021:2016. As Boden says, “With these products, we are keeping in step with the trend for increased use of recycled materials in the automotive industry.” Another example of new applications in the oil circuit comes in the form of the polyamides of the XTS series. XTS stands for Xtreme Temperature Stabilization and underlines the compounds' extraordinarily high long-term thermal resistance of up to 230°C. “For example, they can be used for oil pans on vehicles that have the catalytic converter mounted near the transmission, which results in the oil pans being subjected to increased thermal loads during exhaust treatment intervals,” explains Boden. “The use of these compounds can avert the need to install deflector plates to protect the oil pans from intense heat.”

Comprehensive HiAnt customer service

Through its HiAnt engineering service, HPM provided IBS Filtran with comprehensive support in the development of the transmission oil pan. Under this brand, the business unit has combined its expertise in product, application, procedural and technological development to aid in cooperation with customers. For instance, HPM conducted simulations of critical load cases for the transmission oil pan, such as stone chippings. The services that it provided also included tests on the finished part, such as tests involving stone chippings and transmission oil deposits.