Alternative powertrains, autonomous driving and the urge for more sustainability impact the vehicle design and driving experience. Particularly, the car interior is experiencing a unique transformation. It is changing into a mobile office and living room. Applications such as the instrument panel are transformed into entertainment units with screens for video conferencing. Electronic devices with additional functions require ever higher data rates.

This represents immense requirements for the high-performance equipment and, thus, for the electronic components and materials used. In addition, it is necessary to reduce weight and to use smaller components due to less space.

MD ELEKTRONIK has taken on these challenges and, with the support of BASF's plastics technology expertise, developed the new connector system "C-KLIC" based on USB Type-C standard. With Ultradur B 4300 G4, a glass fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is used which meets the high requirements.

The new connector system allows faster data transmission for the use of electronic devices in cars.

This innovation is suitable for use in vehicles and enables space saving of up to 60% compared to standard USB ports due to excellent material properties. Moreover, the device convinces with a data transfer rate of >10GB/s and optional USB Power Delivery.

"Our goal was to produce as many individual parts of the connector system as possible with one identical material," emphasized Markus Kaaserer, Expert Techno Polymers and Johannes Trä, Director Development at MD ELEKTRONIK. "This simplifies processing, is much more efficient and contributes to sustainability by reducing material changes on the production machines."

Due to the good material properties, Ultradur is used in the CPA element, coding housing and internal overmolding. Especially in the internal component the PBT displays its full strength.

Thanks to electrical properties and superb dimensional stability, the engineering plastic protects the sensitive electronics from external influences like humidity and dirt. Compared to a standard USB charging module with integrated electronics, the new connector system can be produced in much smaller dimensions which saves installation space and weight.

"This new development underscores the shift towards infotainment in the car interior," commented Bernd Skupin, Global Key Account Manager from BASF's Performance Materials division. "The connector system enables much greater data transmission than systems used in current cars."

"Moreover, the Ultradur fulfills another important aspect. Due to the very good dimensional stability and low humidity absorption, the tight tolerances can be maintained regardless of the ambient conditions in the vehicle", added Volker Zeiher, Senior Specialist Technical Development at BASF.

Alternative powertrains, autonomous driving and the urge for more sustainability impact the vehicle design and driving experience. Particularly, the car interior is experiencing a unique transformation. It is changing into a mobile office and living room. Applications such as the instrument panel are transformed into entertainment units with screens for video conferencing. Electronic devices with additional functions require ever higher data rates.

This represents immense requirements for the high-performance equipment and, thus, for the electronic components and materials used. In addition, it is necessary to reduce weight and to use smaller components due to less space.

MD ELEKTRONIK has taken on these challenges and, with the support of BASF's plastics technology expertise, developed the new connector system "C-KLIC" based on USB Type-C standard. With Ultradur B 4300 G4, a glass fiber-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is used which meets the high requirements.

The new connector system allows faster data transmission for the use of electronic devices in cars.

This innovation is suitable for use in vehicles and enables space saving of up to 60% compared to standard USB ports due to excellent material properties. Moreover, the device convinces with a data transfer rate of >10GB/s and optional USB Power Delivery.

"Our goal was to produce as many individual parts of the connector system as possible with one identical material," emphasized Markus Kaaserer, Expert Techno Polymers and Johannes Trä, Director Development at MD ELEKTRONIK. "This simplifies processing, is much more efficient and contributes to sustainability by reducing material changes on the production machines."

Due to the good material properties, Ultradur is used in the CPA element, coding housing and internal overmolding. Especially in the internal component the PBT displays its full strength.

Thanks to electrical properties and superb dimensional stability, the engineering plastic protects the sensitive electronics from external influences like humidity and dirt. Compared to a standard USB charging module with integrated electronics, the new connector system can be produced in much smaller dimensions which saves installation space and weight.

"This new development underscores the shift towards infotainment in the car interior," commented Bernd Skupin, Global Key Account Manager from BASF's Performance Materials division. "The connector system enables much greater data transmission than systems used in current cars."

"Moreover, the Ultradur fulfills another important aspect. Due to the very good dimensional stability and low humidity absorption, the tight tolerances can be maintained regardless of the ambient conditions in the vehicle", added Volker Zeiher, Senior Specialist Technical Development at BASF.