Leading automakers and their suppliers, including Volkswagen (VW), Skoda and Magna, have selected Styrolution's Luran S SPF30 acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) copolymers for various pre-colored applications for automotive exteriors.

The grade utilizes a new ultraviolet (UV) stabilization technology and provides major improvements in color fastness and surface quality for components such as the front grills on the new Golf 7, mirror triangles on the VW Up, and the front grills on the Skoda Yeti.

Luran S ASA grades from Styrolution (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) reportedly offer a broad range of properties, including high thermal stability, good chemical resistance and excellent resistance to weathering, aging and yellowing according to Styrolution. Luran S is therefore used in applications with exposure to extreme conditions. Typical applications in the automotive sector include exterior mirror housings, front grills and other exterior trims. One of the key benefits of Luran S SPF30 is said to be that it retains gloss and color considerably longer than previous grades, ensuring significantly reduced graying and yellowing when exposed to light. For this reason, the purchasing department of VW recommended replacing Luran S Q42 with Luran S SPF30 for use in exterior parts made from ASA, because it offers higher surface quality and color durability.

Styrolution's specialty product innovations for the automotive industry are typically driven by new OEM requirements, which often lead to a customized solution developed in cooperation with customers. "Our main objective was to meet automotive OEM expectations by providing higher quality in unpainted vehicle parts. With the introduction of Luran S SPF30 at VW in 2011, we became the first supplier in the market to achieve this," says Pierre Juan, automotive sales director at Styrolution. "Now, several other automotive manufacturers have also approved Luran S SPF30 for use in their vehicles, including Daimler, Opel and Peugeot (PSA). Styrolution is planning to use its manufacturing sites in every region to make this new material available on a global scale and is also planning to leverage this new UV stabilization technology breakthrough for other product types."

The benefits of Styrolution's product have also attracted leading automotive part suppliers, such as Magna. "We decided to use Luran S SPF30 because we wanted to be at the cutting edge of material performance and innovation. Since switching to the new product, we now benefit from increased performance and cost efficiency," explains Zuzana Pajerová, material application engineer at Magna Czech Republic.-[email protected]