Innovations in Materials and Processing for future Vehicle Design

摘要

The percentage of plastics used in automotive engineering has risen dramatically over the last 40 years until today they make up some 15 percent of total vehicle weight A closer look at the history of this successful trend reveals that plastics manufacturers have routinely provided key innovative ideas along the way. Examples include the introduction of polyurethane seat foams; polycarbonate headlight lenses; lightweight, strong, highly integrated structural components, such as front ends, made from plastic/metal composites (hybrid technology), and polycarbonate automotive glazing, to name but a few. Plastics manufacturers are successful in their dealings with the automotive industry when they act as solution providers, collaborating with customers to spur on innovation in materials, technologies and processes. This is the very role Bayer MaterialScience AG aims to fulfill as part of its corporate philosophy, as illustrated by three current examples of innovative activities, some carried out in partnership: (1) A new software tool based on a neural network and used for part and mold design, as well as process optimization in injection molding (2) A new, cost-efficient in-mold coating method, whereby injection molded parts can be provided with high-quality polyurethane surfaces in a single processing step using just one mold (3) A new pilot facility installed at Bayer MaterialScience, with which customers can simulate the entire film-insert molding process and make body parts capable of color matching.