Japanese Tier 1, Mitsui Chemicals ink agreement for production, marketing of high-performance impact modifier

Toyota-affiliated Japanese Tier 1 auto parts supplier Toyota Boshoku is teaming with fellow Japanese company Mitsui Chemicals to commercialize and market a high-performance impact modifier for use in polypropylene (PP) compounds employed in automotive as well as industrial and consumer goods applications. The technology was developed by Toyota Boshoku, who has agreed to license it to Mitsui Chemicals to further market development.

This latest initiative is an offshoot of previous R&D reported in 2013 by Toyota Boshoku and Toyota Motor's innovation arm Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc. It turns out that the impact modifier is based on a combination of polyamide (PA) 11 and Mitsui Elastomers’ Tafmer M maleic anhydride-grafted polyolefin elastomer (POE) that is manufactured at an 8000-tonnes/yr plant in Singapore.

Addition of the new additive to PP increases Charpy impact strength substantially without sacrificing rigidity to any great extent. The additive is particularly effective at inhibiting sharp edge fracturing in vehicle collisions for components such as foamed door trim, which is 30% lighter than conventional materials.

Charpy impact strength approaching 80 kJ/m² has been achieved compared with around 50 kJ/m² for polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) alloys and less than 20 kJ/m² for conventional block PP.