To brake safely thanks to Technyl Max

The new and advanced Technyl Max polyamide 6.6 technology of Solvay Performance Polyamides was chosen by Carbody, expert in safety and sealing solutions for the automotive industry, to develop its all-plastic brake pedal. Designated “Skeleton”, the revolutionary pedal concept made in Technyl Max replaces conventional steel design with a lightweight hybrid structure.

“Automotive OEMs and Tiers are increasingly looking for high rigidity materials to substitute a range of metal components for the lightweighting of new energy vehicles,” comments Gérald Durski, Marketing Director for Solvay’s Performance Polyamides. “It was a great opportunity for us to co-design Skeleton in close partnership with Carbody, demonstrating the performance of our brand new highly-filled Technyl Max”.

Skeleton features a rod-shaped composite structure which is over-moulded with 60 percent glass-filled new Technyl Max technology. This provides the Skeleton brake pedal superior fracture resistance under loads up to 3,000 N and even maintain its operational safety beyond that limit. In regards, the average force applied in case of emergency brake is around 500 N. 

“The strength of this new Technyl Max was instrumental in maximizing lightweighting for our unique pedal concept,” explains Loïc Lefebvre, R&D Expert at Carbody. “We have been relying on Technyl team’s expertise in metal replacement for many years; their upgraded HUB advanced service platform is a key differentiation lever to optimize design and performance for demanding safety parts.”

In addition to car pedal systems, the new Technyl Max targets semi-structural components such as transmission and motor mount cross beams, air shutter grills and seat structures. Its low density offers significant weight savings over typical die-casting metals at comparable tensile strength. This is of importance for applications in EVs which require even greater rigidity and fatigue resistance due to higher frequencies.

This co-development is backed by the Technyl Force extensive experience in metal replacement. Unveiled at K 2019, HUB by Technyl is a unique platform - which includes MMI Technyl Design predictive simulation - that connects together advanced services to provide customer innovation with enhanced capabilities and synergies for eco-design agility and cost optimization.