ATE Speakers

APTIV? black film in ATE’s revolutionary speaker cone

In a bid to enhance the design process of its revolutionary speaker cones, Audio Technology Engineering (ATE), a German-based provider of innovative solutions for the acoustic speaker market, was looking for a material solution that enabled free surface design capabilities and could be thermoformed into intricate details. The solution was to develop P2C, a revolutionary speaker cone with laminated Victrex APTIV? film. The P2C sandwich cone made with APTIV black film is already being widely recognised as an excellent technology solution for cones used in speakers of all types.

Victrex recently launched APTIV black film which has the same properties as the natural color film, but offers customers a new option when dark color is a design requirement. APTIV film’s excellent fatigue, power handling, and high temperature performance along with outstanding acoustic qualities offer an excellent fit for speaker diaphragms. In addition to the speaker market, the black APTIV film is gaining interest in tapes, labels, and a variety of automotive and aerospace applications.

ATE’s innovative P2C propriety design using APTIV film has a number of key acoustic properties, including lower distortion and ringing, no break-up-modes, very simple crossovers, and a flatter frequency response in comparison to cones made from conventional materials such as polypropylene, paper and aluminium cones. The ability to thermoform APTIV film into intricate details in the speaker cone design means that the manufacturing process is fast and efficient, allowing it to be used in high volume and cost competitive applications.

Commenting on the use of APTIV film, Norman Gerkinsmeyer, general manager of ATE said, “Our work with Victrex on the implementation of APTIV film, with its superior “tunable” acoustics, has been integral to the success of our P2C cone design. Interestingly, APTIV films also offer a unique combination of properties for a range of other speaker applications including diaphragms, domes, and voice coil bobbins.”

John Getz, APTIV Film Commercial Leader, Victrex plc, said, “We are encouraged by the results that ATE is achieving with its P2C speaker cone design using APTIV film. The inherent acoustic, high temperature, mechanical, fatigue and processing attributes of APTIV film are well suited for use in acoustic applications and present numerous opportunities for OEMs, designers and processors in the manufacture of leading edge, high performance speaker systems.”

ATE is initially targeting the automotive speaker market, but APTIV film technology is suitable for a wide range of advanced design and high performance speaker applications.

Getz concluded, “The unique value of Victrex materials solutions lies in our ability to tailor high performance PEEK-based polymers for our customers such as ATE. The Victrex reputation is built upon our depth of expertise with PEEK polymers, and our ability to work alongside global customers to help accelerate their application development by thoroughly understanding their engineering requirements.”

APTIV Film Key Properties:

• Acoustics properties
• High temperature performance
• Mechanical properties
• Fatigue resistance
• Design flexibility
• Excellent wear properties
• High strength and toughness
• Electrical stability