February 2, 2010
New thermally conductive plastics with electric insulating properties
—Introduced as the third major thermal solution materials from Kaneka
for reducing heat generated from applications such as LED lighting—

◎ Kaneka Corporation (Headquarters: Osaka. President, Mr. Kimikazu Sugawara) has successfully
developed thermally conductive plastics with electric insulating properties. The material is based
on our modified PET resin product Hyperite® and features a combination of polyester resin and
thermal conductive filler. It is designed to provide a superior thermal solution for electronic
components in computers and consumer electrical appliances as well as LED light applications.
In light of strong initial uptake of the new material, sales are expected to reach about 2 billion yen
within five years.
◎ The main features of the thermally conductive plastics are as follows: -

It is lighter than conventional thermal conductive plastics and aluminum alloys, with a specific
gravity below 2.0.
-

It causes far less abrasion on metal molds and molding machines than conventional thermal
conductive plastics and is processable by standard injection molding.
-

In addition to injection molding, it can also be configured for extrusion molding by altering the
composition of the base polymer.
-

Molded articles are white in color with good surface finish, and can be used as is for external
cladding and light fittings. They are also suitable for painting and coating.
-

Strength is similar to that of glass-reinforced polyester resin, a significant improvement over
conventional thermal conductive resins.
-

It is also available in a light-resistant configuration specifically designed for the fast-growing area
of LED light fittings as well as other lighting applications.
◎ With devices such as mobile telephones, computers, game consoles and LED lights becoming
steadily more powerful in terms of output and functionality yet at the same time thinner and more
compact, the development of thermal solutions for efficient thermal transfer and diffusion is an
increasingly important issue. Kaneka sees the electronics business field as an important strategic
field, and is strongly committed to the development of thermal solution materials for electronic
devices. December 2008 saw the release of a thermal diffusion sheet called New Graphite Sheet.
This was followed in April 2009 by the announcement of a new thermal conductive RTV
elastomer consisting of a combination of reactive oligomer and thermal conductive filler. Thus,
the new thermally conductive plastics described here represent the third major thermal solution
materials developed by Kaneka.