RTP Compound Used in Wiring Harness System

With the help of custom compounder RTP Company, Maxi-Seal has developed the Defender commercial wiring harness system, which offers a 10-year warranty against leakage and corrosion. A national truck fleet had approached Maxi-Seal Harness Systems to design a modular wiring harness for the underside of long-haul semi-trailer trucks. As the connection point for cabling that delivers power from the truck cab back to the trailer, wiring harnesses are exposed to grimy exhaust and road particulate combined with spraying water, caustic de-icing solutions and other chemical agents.

Given this type of environment, a watertight seal, in addition to chemical and corrosion resistance, were essential design requirements. However, the initial prototypes, which used existing materials, were disappointing due to unacceptable moisture penetration. The two materials at the heart of the device were the issue - at the connection point a rigid housing needed to bond with a flexible thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) over-mould and create a watertight seal. Maxi-Seal contacted RTP Company, which provided a TPE specialist.

The resulting custom-engineered materials included an RTP 1000 Series polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) compound reinforced with glass fibre for the rigid housing, as well as an RTP 1500 Series polyester thermoplastic elastomer (TEEE) compound for the flexible over-mould, which forms a watertight seal. Both compounds provided the necessary chemical and corrosion resistance with bonding that has enabled the harness to endure field tests on a fleet of 20 trucks driven 1.6 million miles. The wiring harness design allowed Maxi-Seal to win the business for the national truck fleet.

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