SABIC develops new compounds for automotive industry

SABIC has announced the expansion of its specialty materials portfolio for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), this aims to further strengthen occupant and pedestrian safety. 

SABIC says that the company’s two new LNP STAT-KON compounds are well suited for ADAS radar absorbers and can help propel adoption of millimeter wave (mmWave) radar, which significantly improves sensor accuracy and range. By providing robust and high-resolution information about remote objects, mmWave radar could enhance driving safety and support the trend toward the use of autonomous vehicles.

To minimize noise that interferes with the transmission of the main radar signal, these compounds provide a high dissipation factor (Df) for efficient absorption. The company claims that compared to other semi-crystalline glass filled materials, SABIC’s new glass fiber-reinforced grades deliver higher absorption and lower reflectivity. In addition, they offer ultra-high flow and very low warpage, empowering customers to create new designs for internal and external single-layer absorbers, or to optimize traditional metal-backed absorbers.

Joshua Chiaw, Director, Business Management, LNP & NORYL, Specialties, SABIC said: “Steady improvements in accuracy and reliability are helping ADAS technologies increase vehicle safety. To help accelerate ADAS improvements, SABIC continues to add new specialty materials with exceptional properties that have the potential to enhance the design and performance of ADAS sensors ecosystem including radar, LiDAR and camera components. Our new LNP STAT-KON compounds, well suited for radar absorbers, could help propel the shift to higher-frequency mmWave radar to enable better image resolution and greater range. These new solutions reflect our extensive experience with both ADAS and the mobility sector as a whole.”

The LNP STAT-KON WDF40RID compound exhibits high absorption (up to 75 percent at 77 GHz) and controlled reflection (as low as 25 percent at 77 GHz), which together can significantly reduce noise. It is claimed that this product can surpass incumbent materials in higher absorption and lower reflection by as much as 10 percent on a flat design and can be further optimized with appropriate design shapes. 

“Our development team applied their ingenuity and deep technical knowledge to balance conductivity and flow properties in our new LNP STAT-KON compounds, while ensuring exceptional noise diffusion performance,” said Jenny Wang, Director, Formulation & Application, APAC, Specialties, SABIC. “These new products have addressed key drawbacks of currently available materials, opening the door to new internal and external absorber designs and improved processability. Adoption of these new compounds can help the industry advance the state of the art in ADAS radar.”