Luran S 778T and Novodur HH-106 G2 styrenic grades from INEOS Styrolution have been selected by PSA and its partner Tier 1 company Groupe Plastivaloire for several external applications on the new Citroen C3. Both companies have already used INEOS Styrolution styrenic polymers in previous car models. Luran S 778T, an acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) grade, has won them over again and is now being used for front and rear window triangles, and B and C Pillars on the new Citroen C3. The Luran S grade performs well, meeting the customer’s demanding UV requirements for fine textured unpainted exterior parts.

Novodur HH-106 G2, meanwhile, is a glass fiber-reinforced acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) grade, which is used for the B and D pillars insert overmolded with Luran S 778T. The grade provides a balanced property profile with good flowability and good impact performance. The adequate rigidity and the excellent processability with 2K (two-component) injection molding processes reportedly make Novodur HH-106 G2 the material of choice for these applications.

“We are very pleased with our long-standing cooperation with PSA Groupe and Plastivaloire, coming up with the best solution for this project,” comments Christophe Ginss, Sales Director Automotive EMEA with global coordination role. “We believe in working in very close cooperation with our customers and partners to help selecting the best material and to provide the best technical service and support throughout a project.”

Plastivaloire is an industrial group partnering with automotive and consumer electronics manufacturers for the design and manufacture of technical parts and sub-assemblies using the injection molding process. The processor operates injection presses with clamping forces of between 50 and 2,700 tonnes and also carries out assembly and decoration, including chrome plating, and interior and exterior paint lines. The group employed 5,738 specialists in 2016, operating 28 factories (including 13 in France, 12 in the European Union outside France and three outside the European Union).