Day: October 30, 2022

In addition to their use in battery and electric powertrain applications, technical plastics also have great application potential in the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. This particularly applies to wall-mounted charging stations. These wallboxes must be very safe because they are used inside buildings such as parking garages or private garages. The selection criteria for the materials from which they are made are correspondingly strict. One plastic that meets the high requirements is the halogen-free flame-retardant Durethan BKV20FN01 from LANXESS. The polyamide 6 compound is used to make charging cable connectors manufactured by Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, a global system supplier of automotive, industrial and solar electrics as well as electrical contact systems. The charging cable connectors are used in Kostal’s own Enector wallboxes, which are distributed via Kostal Solar Electric, as well as in wallboxes from a leading German producer of industrial connector systems and charging solutions for electro-mobility. Wallbox charging cable connector made of halogen-free flame-retardant polyamide 6 from LANXESS. Highly flame-retardant. Excellent tracking resistance. Easy to process. High glow-wire resistance “The key arguments for using our material in this application were its high tracking resistance and high flame-retardance based on the halogen-free flame retardant package. It is also easy to process and produces components with a high surface quality,” explained Dr. Bernhard Helbich, Technical Marketing Manager Key Accounts at LANXESS. The compound’s level of flame-retardance is demonstrated by the UL 94 flammability test of the US Underwriters Laboratories Inc. testing organization. The polyamide passes the test with the top classification of V-0 at a test specimen thickness of 0.75 millimeters. Because wallboxes come under ‘unattended household appliances,’ the plastics used must comply with the international standard IEC/ EN 60335-1. In particular, they must prove that they are flame-retardant in glow-wire testing. Durethan BKV20FN01 passes the GWIT test (Glow Wire Ignition Temperature, IEC 60695-2-13) at 775°C with test specimen thickness of 0.75 millimeter and above. In the GWFI test (Glow Wire Flammability Index, IEC 60695-2- 12), the thermoplastic achieves the top PLC 0 (Performance Level Category) in the similarly designed UL 746 test. “This reduces the risk of short circuits and defects caused by creepage currents in the wallbox. In addition, the electrical and electronic assemblies can be designed more compactly, resulting in a smaller device overall with higher power density,” Helbich explained. The compound, which is reinforced with 18% short glass fibers by weight, also has good strength, stiffness and toughness. The charging cable connector systems are therefore not susceptible to mechanical loads, particularly during assembly. The polyamide can also be economically processed in a stable injection molding process.  

HID Global, a worldwide company in trusted identity solutions, recently announced its participation at the Smart Card Expo 2022 to engage its customers as well as partners specific to its Secure Issuance (SI) and Identification Technology (IDT) solutions through on-ground product demos and showcases. Digitization across domains has been one of the Indian government’s top priorities over the past couple of years. This industry-wide transformation has also brought several threats and security risks, thereby resulting in the growing demand for reliable and seamless security solutions in the country. A recent IDC report states, “Over 74% of large Indian enterprises have increased their security spend. There is a rise in security investments within professional services, government, BFSI and healthcare sectors.” India, therefore, remains a key market for HID Global and through events such as the Smart Card Expo, the company is able to interact, showcase and get a pulse of the security market. Matt Winn, Senior Director, Public Relations and Corporate Communications, HID Global, said, “As a leader in secure identity solutions, we are excited to participate in the Smart Card Expo and related RFID and IoT events to showcase our innovations for streamlining card issuance and personalisation. We will demonstrate HID’s contactless identification and sensing RFID solutions for the automation and manufacturing industries, including our linen management solution and TSL™ Readers. This will be an opportunity for attendees to explore solutions that can positively impact their businesses. We look forward to reconnecting with thought leaders and influencers in the industry while highlighting our solutions that will empower businesses to operate efficiently in a rapidly changing environment.” At this year’s expo, HID Global will be displaying some of the latest products and solutions from two of its key business areas – Secure Issuance and Identification Technology: Secure Issuance: HID Global offers comprehensive solutions which include cloud-based printing, financial instant issuance and a wide selection of printers to fit various business needs. Ranging from plug-and-play, entry-level printers to high-end industrial printing, laser engraving and encoding solutions, HID Global has been steadily growing its customer base in India, including enterprises, financial institutions and government entities. The opening of its Bangalore warehouse in September 2021 further strengthened the company’s ability to provide quality, delivery speed and market access. Secure Issuance offerings showcased at the expo include: Thermal/ Direct-to-Card: HID® FARGO® Connect™ ID systems have a wide range of features as well as functions which enhance the world’s broadest portfolio of advanced generation ID card printers and encoders. It is an all-in-one solution for creating ID cards. Retransfer: HID® FARGO® HDP6600™ Card Printer & Encoder is ideal for organizations of any size that need retransfer printing technology to routinely issue secure and durable, high-definition IDs or cards at speed. As a cost-effective, eco-friendly and reliable solution, it provides high resolution 600 dpi printing capability for superior text and image quality. Inkjet: HID® FARGO® INK1000™ Inkjet Card Printer & Encoder is the next revolution in desktop card printing, bringing the simplicity and affordability of inkjet printing to personalized cards and IDs. Identification Technology: HID Global has over two decades of RFID development, innovation and manufacturing expertise. HID offers a wide range of flexible lines of tracking tags as well as transponders to help track objects, activities and drive process improvement. With its innovative engineering, patented products and processes and ISO 9001-2008 certified facilities, HID is able to serve as the trusted provider for RFID products. In the recent past, HID Global has worked closely with the Indian government on key projects. Some of the latest IDT solutions showcased that the expo include: Contactless Identification & Sensing Solutions: HID’s RFID Technology enables companies to track and identify objects by affixing or embedding an RFID tag that contains electronically-stored information for automatic identification as well as workflow optimization. Linen Management Solutions: HID Textile Services Laundry and Linen Management solution offers RFID technology to effectively manage commercial or private linens, garments or mats, optimizing inventory and reducing human error in washing and billing processes. This real-time inventory management solution combines linen management software, RFID tags and cloud services to efficiently identify, track and manage linen and textile assets. Automation and Manufacturing Solutions: HID’s solution for manufacturers provides RFID technology that helps streamline industrial manufacturing processes aimed to increase productivity, safety and security. RFID tags enable data to move with a product, adding information as the product travels through the manufacturing process. Users can also monitor the performance and repair history of the manufacturing equipment. Additionally, RFID transponders help calibrate and track equipment use, repair and maintenance efficiently.  

Fortinet®, a global company in broad, integrated and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently announced accelerated momentum of Fortinet Universal ZTNA and its ability to provide secure access for any user anywhere, whether they are remote or in the office. In fact, according to the latest Gartner report on enterprise network equipment market share, Fortinet is among the highest five global ZTNA vendors, with the fastest growing revenue of any vendor quarter-over-quarter from 4Q21-1Q22 and year-over-year from 1Q21-1Q22. Fortinet attributes this growth to its differentiated approach to ZTNA that supports secure application access for any user in any location, lower total cost of ownership, more seamless transition from VPN, and integration with the Fortinet Security Fabric, including Fortinet Secure SD-WAN. ZTNA emerges as a top solution to implement Zero Trust principles Organizations of all sizes are adopting Zero Trust as a corporate security strategy to enable digital acceleration, support remote and hybrid work, and reduce risk. According to Gartner, “60% of organizations will embrace Zero Trust as a starting point for security by 2025. More than half will fail to realize the benefits.” While transitioning from implicit trust to an explicit Zero Trust model is a top strategic concern, most organizations – over 80% according to a January 2022 Zero Trust survey from Fortinet – have found it difficult to execute. ZTNA has emerged as a top technology adopted by organizations as a first step to implementing zero trust principles to the corporate network. Secure access for any user anywhere with Fortinet Universal ZTNA At an increasing rate, organizations seeking to reduce their risk profile by building a zero trust architecture are turning to Fortinet Universal ZTNA. Key benefits of Fortinet’s solution include: Consistent user experience in all work locations: Unlike cloud-only ZTNA, Fortinet Universal ZTNA delivers universal enforcement and the same user experience and security policies whether employees are located in densely populated offices, working remotely from home, or on the road. Easy transition from VPN to ZTNA: Because VPN and ZTNA are managed by the same integrated client from Fortinet – FortiClient – organizations can transition application access seamlessly and at their own pace. Existing Fortinet customers can immediately access ZTNA: Customers with existing FortiGate and FortiClient investments already have what they need to start applying Fortinet Universal ZTNA, an unlicensed feature. ZTNA integrated with SD-WAN: Fortinet is the only vendor delivering ZTNA, SD-WAN, and enterprise-grade security that is integrated by a single operating system to more effectively support secure application access and application steering. All three – SD-WAN for connectivity, ZTNA for secure access, and enterprise-grade security for traffic inspection and protectioncan be configured, orchestrated, and managed using the same centralized console. Powerful networking & security convergence enabled by FortiOS everywhere: With Fortinet Universal ZTNA, Fortinet continues its legacy of delivering solutions that converge networking and security across its FortiGate platform. This convergence is powered by a single operating system – FortiOS – across all FortiGate form factors, including appliances, virtual machines, container solutions, SASE, and cloud deployments, to deliver coordinated security policies and consistent user experience. Vishak Raman, Vice President of Sales, India, SAARC & Southeast Asia at Fortinet, “Fortinet Universal ZTNA delivers the most complete support for work-from-anywhere by delivering a universal approach to ZTNA that is consistent on-prem, in the cloud or as a service via SASE. Because cloud-only ZTNA solutions aren’t able to adequately support in-office workers and do so at a high cost, we’re seeing an increasing adoption of Fortinet Universal ZTNA to support today’s hybrid workforce.”