Chinaplas: Lightweight talc-filled PP grade boasts similar stiffness to materials with higher fillings

A 5% talc-filled polypropylene (PP) grade from Borouge exhibits good flow properties and heat resistance, boast low VOC emissions, and is needless to say lighter in weight than conventional 15–16% talc-filled PP compounds with similar stiffness. Daplen EF011AC has also been engineered to exhibit minimal shrinkage.

Ivan Xu, Vice President, Marketing Centre Mobility at Borouge says that the compound is already being used in the VW Touareg manufactured in China in a door panel weighing in at 1 kg, or 10% lighter than a door panel molded from a 15–16% talc-filled PP compound.

Xu also highlighted the adoption of a 20% carbon fiber-reinforced PP grade by Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio in its ES8 vehicle slated for launch at the end of 2018. The CF-PP compound is used in a center console weighing 8 kg. “With the gearbox no longer occupying space under the console, it can be used for storage so mechanical strength is a must,” says Xu. “The carbon fiber compound costs around double that of a 30–40% long glass fiber PP compound, but its lightweighting attributes fit in with the concept of the electric vehicle.”

Xu believes that Chinese EV production will drive the use of CF-PP compounds in China. Nio is already committed to using CF-PP in its next model, which will employ either a 10% or 20% reinforced grade. “A typical SUV EV carried 150–200 more weight due to the battery so weight must be engineered out of the material elsewhere.”

A third highlight at the Borouge stand at Chinaplas was the company’s In-Mass metallic finish grade for bumper protectors. Daplen EH104AEC is a mineral filled elastomer-modified polypropylene compound is a paint-free solution that reportedly achieves 30% cost reduction, allowing for fewer injection points while offering high surface quality with UV resistance, easy recyclability, and weight saving of 10% compared with 20% talc-filled PP.

Borouge’s Xu says the grade has already been employed in several SUVs manufactured in China, where flow simulation was critical eliminate flow lines and weld lines. The components typically also require long flow lengths.