Development of the super-slim, heat-resistant electrical wire BEAMEX® PLUS-US for automobiles

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Head office: 2-6-4, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Hideya Moridaira) developed the super-slim, heat-resistant electrical wire BEAMEX® PLUS-US for automobiles.

Due to advances in vehicle electrification (EV) and autonomous driving technology, the importance of electronic control in the vehicle is increasing. Following this trend, electronic control functions are becoming more advanced, and the onboard devices are becoming increasingly integrated. For the automotive electronic systems that require a response to higher density, reducing the size and weight of the wire harness are important issues.
Also, following the advancements and integration of electronic control functions, the wiring within the wire harnesses will become increasingly dense, leading to more challenging temperature environments for the electrical wire.

The newly developed product is a low voltage copper electrical wire that realizes small diameter and can be used in high temperature environments. It supports operating conditions not envisioned for heat-resistant automotive electrical wire defined in the JASO standards^{(note 1)}.

The newly developed product (0.22SQ) realizes over 40% lighter weight and over 50% smaller diameter (electrical wire cross-sectional area) compared to AESSX-standard wires with the same heat resistance rating (0.3SQ), an ultra-thin cross lined polyethylene insulated heat-resistant low voltage copper electrical wire for automobiles conforming to JASO D625. As a result, this new electrical wire contributes to reduced wire harness weight and increased wiring space efficiency.

CIVUS ultra-thin PVC insulated low voltage copper electrical wire for automobiles conforming to JASO D625 has thinner insulation and smaller diameter than AESSX, but the poorer heat-resistance performance compared to AESSX was an issue. Compared to CIVUS-standard wires of the same diameter, the newly developed product offers a heat resistance temperature that is 40℃ higher and maintains stable performance even at 125℃.

Leveraging our 4 core technologies of metals, polymers, photonics and high frequency, Furukawa Electric Group operates a wide range of businesses in fields including infrastructure such as telecommunications and energy, automotive products and electronics. Based on our Purpose of “Composing the core of a brighter world”, we strive to solve social issues such as supporting faster optical communications, addressing carbon neutrality and evolving mobility, and contribute to the establishment and development of next-generation infrastructure.