Automotive interiors

Molders who mold the substrates for interior automotive parts will be interested in a study to be published third quarter 1997 entitled "Automotive Interior Skins and Foams - Intermaterials Competition, Technology, and Global Markets." According to the study, new skin/foam combinations are challenging the traditional use of PVC for soft surfaces in automotive interiors. New skin/foam laminated to a polypropylene substrate could result in all-PP interior components, according to the report. Other materials with a chance in this sector, according to the report, are metallocene polyolefins, all-PU systems, and ASA films, which have made initial penetrations in Europe. But some even newer materials, such as slush molded TPU, are entering the skins competition too. These intermaterials competitions and the implications of globalization and consolidation in the auto interiors industry are covered in this report from Robert Eller Assoc., which sells for $12,000.