In rapidly changing automotive world, plastics prove an isle of constancy

You need to be a speed-reader to track all of the changes ongoing in the automotive industry. Chrysler is for sale, or may be sold by the time this article is published in three weeks. Delphi, Lear, and other top Tier suppliers are changing strategies, and frequently owners, too.

With so much transition in the automotive industry, it may come as some comfort to processors engaged in the market that one common thread continues to trend upwards: plastics continue to see ever-greater use in passenger cars, and nearly every expert bets that trend will continue for many years to come. Developments are manifold at processors, materials suppliers, and tooling and machinery manufacturers.

Want processing innovation? Often, you need to consider materials innovation first, as so many developments hinge on the correct compound. Ways to avoid painting remains a hot topic among plastics processors and suppliers, for automotive as well as other markets.

During its annual automotive customer event in March, BASF"s Volker Warzelhahn, senior VP for thermoplastic R&D at the supplier, revealed a number of projects in the pipeline at the plastics supplier, based in Ludwigshafen, Germany. These include a PPE/PA6 compound suitable for painting online, with this material now in the pilot phase but an official introduction expected at this October"s K show.

In another non-painting development, thermoplastic paint-film supplier Soliant, which recently doubled the film-lamination capabilities of its North Carolina facility, announced that German luxury automaker Audi will apply its Fluorex paint film on roofing strips of select A8 models. In addition to matching a wide variety of colors, Soliant reports that according to gravelometer laboratory and field tests, the film is more chip- and weather-resistant than paint.

Also in a pilot phase at BASF are the supplier"s Lumagen Black pigments, which are black pigments that will reflect, not absorb, UV rays. So lower-cost base plastics may be suitable for visible parts, such as dashboards, which to now has been the domain of plastics with higher heat resistance.

Plastics supplier Bayer (Leverkusen, Germany) has worked with injection molding machine manufacturer Krauss-Maffei to bring ever-closer to commercial status a version of that firm"s SkinForm process. The process combines an injection-molded thermoplastic with a reaction injection-molded polyurethane (PUR) part in a single processing step to mold, for instance, automotive interior parts with the strength of a thermoplastic molding coupled with a decorative skin, high-quality finish, or functional coating in PUR. Tier One supplier fischer Automotive Systems (Horb, Germany) has joined the project, and the firms recently showed one of their first successes, a prototype cup holder trim for a high-end car, with PC/ABC coated with an aliphatic two-component polyurethane system. The processor already commercially supplies these parts for the Mercedes M Class sedan, molding them and then coating them with about 1.5 mm of PUR in a standard fashion.

Krauss-Maffei introduced its SkinForm injection molding/RIM unit during K 2004. The major improvement is that now processing can take place in a single two-cavity mold. In one cavity, a thermoplastic part is molded, then transfered to a second cavity for application of a PUR skin or coating, injected directly into a mold cavity via a polyurethane mixing head. While the PUR cures, a second thermoplastic molding can be processed in the other cavity.

Hybrid plastic/metal action continues

Now entering the market for BASF is its entry into the plastics/metal hybrid field. First use was on the lower bumper stiffener of the 2006 Opel Corsa. The supplier also has developed simulation software to help processors/OEMs determine actual crash performance of the hybrid parts.

At Dow Automotive, Eugenio Toccalino, marketing manager plastics Europe (Schwalbach, Germany), says two additional vehicles using the Low Energy Surface Adhesive (LESA) technology for hybrid steel/plastic parts will enter the market in the next 18 months. In North America, the Dodge Nitro uses the technology for its front ends, as does the Jeep Wrangler, with design, integration, and production handled by Tier One supplier Decoma (More on LESA in MPW"s May 2005 issue).

In conjunction with its desire to be a one-stop supplier for front ends, Dow recently introduced a 60% long-glass-fiber (LGF) reinforced concentrate. Interest in LGF compounds remains high, says Toccalino. After lagging behind Europe"s automotive industry, “It"s growing much faster in North America now,” he says, and Dow is positioning itself as a major supplier for LGF-PP. Concentrates enable processors to dial-in the required LGF percentage, he says, rather than stick to the 20%, 30%, or 40% loadings offered in standard compounds. “We continue to see strong demand growing for LGF-PP for front ends, door modules, instrument panels, and other parts,” he says.

Dow also sees increasing processor interest in direct compounding/compression molding or direct compounding/ injection molding lines. For this process, Dow markets both PP as well as a masterbatch designed to ensure compatibility and wet-out of the fibers, as well as any other additive requirements.

Thermoplastics supplier Ticona (Kelsterbach, Germany) recently announced it would add LGF compounding capacity in China to balance its current LGF compounding capacity in Winona, MN and Kelsterbach. Competitor and thermoplastics compounder TechnoCompound (Bad Sobernheim, Germany) is supplying a 50% LGF-PP masterbatch for the injection molded door trim module of the new BMW Mini. Final parts have 10% LGF content. The surface quality of the door trim module is sufficiently high-quality so that the visible surfaces of the map pocket do not have to be painted. The LGF-PP compound is back injection molded onto a decorative film.

Blowmolded seatbacks for high volumes?

The blowmolded rear seatback (see December 1, 2006 MPW e-Weekly for initial report) developed by Dow Automotive in conjunction with processor Möllertech (Bielefeld, Germany) already sees commercial use in the 2007 Audi TT roadster. “This is the first in a series of three vehicles” that will use the technology, says Dow"s Toccalino. Lear is the seat systems supplier for the Audi TT.

Dow"s Pulse PC/ABS is used, with a weight savings versus metal seat backs of 2.4 kg per vehicle. Additional benefits cited include the lower cost of blowmolding tooling compared with metal fabrication, and design flexibility; Dow and Möllertech are working on a second generation of the seatbacks in which pockets are integrated into the part. Toccalino is especially excited about work on a project in the U.S., which, should it come to fruition, would have these seatbacks blowmolded for a high-series (180,000-200,000 annual build levels) car. Dow expected the technology to find a home in lower-volume production, but will be very positively surprised if the economics are deemed good for higher build numbers, he says.

At Lanxess (Leverkusen, Germany), developments continue on use of PA 6 and 66 for transmission oil pans and, now, also for engine oil pans (Initial report in May 2006 MPW). The firm credits improved developed integrative simulation software with helping it better develop these parts so that, for instance, it can more accurately determine oil pan deformation due to counterpressure of rubber gaskets, enabling it to more accurately determine design of polyamide oil pans that account for this gap expansion.

Paul Turner, VP automotive at polyolefins supplier Borealis (Vienna, Austria), says this October"s K show likely will be the official announcement for a new body panel application using his firm"s PP, as well as for a new underhood application. “We"ve historically been strong in (supplying PP for) fascia, and that has led us to body panels,” he explains. The firm is soon to add compounding capacity in São Paulo, Brazil for the automotive market there and, with new developments within its Borouge joint venture in the Middle East and Asia, will essentially double the firm"s size in the next five years. To now Borealis is not yet active in North America and, while he says no concrete plans exist, he can foresee a day when that changes. For now, he says the firm’s strategy is to grow ever more integrated with its European automotive OEMs, much as Japanese suppliers often are with their OEMs, so that Borealis can grow with its customers.