Hard on stubble, soft to the skin

For many men, a good, clean shave first thing in the morning makes for the perfect start to the day. So it’s no wonder that electric razors have become high-tech products designed to give men the very best in thoroughness, comfort and care. Numerous models from a major international manufacturer feature shaving head carriers and blade holders made from the high-performance technical plastic Durethan DPBKV60H2.0EF from LANXESS. “Our polyamide 6 fulfills the strict requirements regarding rigidity, toughness and dimensional stability and ensures high-quality surfaces,” says Marc Marbach, head of the E&E sales segment of the LANXESS High Performance Materials (HPM) business unit. Another benefit of this compound – which features 60 percent by weight glass-fiber reinforcement – is that thanks to its outstanding flow characteristics, it can even be used for highly complex components and processed cost-efficiently in large-volume production.

Drop test passed

The fully assembled razors have to withstand being dropped from a height of one meter without sustaining any damage. “Despite its high filler content, our polyamide 6 is so tough that the components made from this material do not break when they hit the ground,” says Marbach. The material absorbs very little water and remains exceptionally dimensionally stable throughout the entire lifetime of the razor. Thus, these low-warpage components stay within the tightest of tolerances, which ensures that the blades fit accurately in the device.

Easy to paint and metallize

The shaving head carriers and blade holders are available in black as well as in painted or unpainted versions. They also feature a skin comfort coating, which contains metal pigments and allows the shaving head to glide smoothly over the skin. Marbach: “Our compound creates smooth and attractive surfaces that are easy to paint and exhibit good paint adhesion. Another benefit is the polyamide’s strong chemical resistance to the ingredients used in shaving creams, soaps and care emulsions.”

Despite the high glass fiber content, the flow characteristics and processability of the thermoplastic are comparable to a polyamide 6 with 30-percent glass fiber reinforcement. This makes it especially ideal for shaving head carriers and blade holders, because both these components are very thin with complex geometries.

Well-established material for structural components

Durethan DPBKV60H2.0EF has become well established as a material in the series manufacture of structural components of all sizes and can be seen, for example, in the production of transmission housings in motorized brushes. It is also widespread in lightweight automotive construction as a material for frontend carriers, luggage compartment recesses, oil sumps, oil filter extraction tools, transmission housings and chassis-strengthening structural inserts. Electric vehicles offer enormous application potential, including in battery housings and carriers for electrical and electronic modules.