NPE 2015: Automotive lightweighting highlighted at Lanxess booth

Visitors to NPE with an interest in the auto sector might want to head down to the Lanxess booth (S22139) to learn more about how the materials supplier can assist in achieving lightweighting objectives in vehicles.

The High Performance Materials business unit is showcasing a variety of exhibits featuring Durethan polyamides (Pas), Pocan polybutylene terephthalates (PBTs) and Tepex continuous fiber-reinforced composites in lightweight automotive applications. One key highlight is a hybrid design infotainment carrier made from a continuous fiber-reinforced PA composite and a PA 6 overmolding material that is being used for the first time in the Audi A6. Fabricated with Tepex and Durethan, this mass-produced component reportedly weighs almost 50 percent less than its steel counterpart.

Lanxess is promoting the lightweighting attributes of its Tepex composite sheets at NPE. In this applications, the surface layer of the rear muffler cover in the BMW i8 is compression-molded from glass fiber-reinforced PP.

Another key showcase features the evolution of front end carriers - from plastic-metal hybrid to hydroforming-hybrid design to the first full-plastic design - constructed with Lanxess Durethan highly reinforced PAs.

"In spite of the current temporary low gas prices, the need for innovative lightweight solutions in automotive engineering is unbroken," says Marcus Schaefer, general manager, Americas for High Performance Materials. "Lanxess is continuously developing new materials and engineering tools to support our customers with sustainable solutions to meet the CAFE standards.  The evolution from replacing full steel applications with plastic-metal hybrid, and now even full-plastic and composite solutions shows that Lanxess has been, and will be a reliable and technology driven development partner for the automotive industry."

Lanxess will also spotlight the recently expanded range of Tepex composites that now includes halogen-free flame retardant (FR) versions with a polycarbonate matrix.  These new FR grades demonstrate exceptionally high flame retardance in UL 94 fire safety standard testing and have achieved top V-0 classification on UL's Yellow Card at specimen thicknesses between 0.4 and 2 millimeters, giving them major potential for consumer electronics applications such as notebooks, tablets and TV sets.

Other highlights from Lanxess High Performance Materials include various automotive electrical and electronics circuits and a car seat shell made of Tepex composite that absorbs a great deal of energy in the event of a crash and weighs far less than similar steel solutions.