**Vehicle Material Status**
Modified plastics play a significant role in the automotive industry, with applications spread across various components. These include interior parts like dashboard components, cockpit panels, steering columns, door panels, and central control boxes. Exterior parts such as bumper assemblies, grilles, spoilers, and rubbing strips also rely heavily on modified plastics. Structural components, including front-end modules, seat frames, and radiator fans, benefit from these materials as well. Additionally, under-hood components like hoods, camshaft covers, canisters, intake manifolds, and air filters are often made from modified plastics. Electrical and electronic parts, such as fuse boxes, junction boxes, and ignition coils, further highlight the versatility of these materials in modern vehicles.
In 2011, the use of plastics in automotive applications exceeded 160,000 tons, accounting for over 25% of the total modified plastics used in the industry. The most common types of modified plastics include polyolefins such as modified polypropylene and modified polyethylene. Engineering plastics and alloys like ABS, AES, ASA, PC, PA, PBT, PET, PC/ABS, PC/PET, PC/PBT, and PA/ABS are widely used. Reinforced materials such as glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (GF-PP), glass fiber-reinforced nylon (GF-PA6, GF-PA66), glass fiber-reinforced PBT (GF-PBT), and glass fiber-reinforced PC (GF-PC) are also popular. Long fiber thermoplastics (LFT) like LFT-PP, LFT-PA6, and LFT-PA66 are gaining traction. Special engineering plastics such as PPO, PPS, and PA-10T are also being adopted for specific applications.
**New Technologies in Automotive Materials**
Lightweighting and environmental sustainability have become key goals in the automotive industry. The development of automotive materials is centered around eco-friendliness, weight reduction, safety, and cost-effectiveness. As shown in Figure 1, the inner ring represents part-specific requirements, while the outer ring reflects material development needs. This highlights the critical role that material properties and usage play in the overall vehicle development process. Below are some of the latest advancements in automotive materials.
**1. Development of Thin-Wall Bumper Materials**
Reducing the thickness of automotive parts offers multiple benefits: it lowers the weight of the component, shortens the molding cycle, reduces production costs, and improves injection efficiency. It also helps reduce energy consumption during manufacturing. According to "Nikkei Automotive Technology," Mazda collaborated with Japan Polypropylene Co., Ltd. to develop a new bumper material for the CX-5 model, resulting in a 20% weight reduction and a halving of the molding cycle time—from 60 seconds to 30 seconds. Energy consumption during production was also significantly reduced.
Over the past decade, bumper wall thickness has decreased from 4 mm in the early 2000s to 2.8–3 mm by 2010. Some new models now feature bumpers as thin as 2 mm, which places higher demands on the material. The material must have a high melt index, good rigidity, and impact resistance, while still meeting performance standards such as collision testing. Additionally, it must be compatible with processing conditions.
After two years of research, our company successfully developed ABP-2040, a specialized material for thin-walled bumpers, and applied it to a specific model. The physical properties of ABP-2040 are detailed in the attached table.
**2. Paint-Free Metallic-Luster Plastic Coating**
To achieve a luxurious appearance in both interior and exterior trim, many decorative parts are painted to create a metallic effect. However, traditional painting processes come with several drawbacks, including complex procedures, high VOC emissions, increased costs, and difficulties in recycling and rework. A more efficient solution would be to produce parts with a paint-like appearance using injection molding, eliminating the need for painting entirely.
This approach offers numerous advantages: simplified production, no VOC emissions, lower costs, and easier recyclability. After years of R&D, Blonde Technology has developed PMMA/ABS alloy, ABS, and PP-based paint-free metallic luster products. Figure 2 shows a PP sample with a metallic sheen, and an enlarged image highlights the flashing light effect seen in black. This effect can be replicated in other colors as well.
Figure 3 displays a commercialized product from 2012 that uses paint-free metallic luster PP. Its appearance closely mimics that of painted parts, demonstrating the effectiveness of this technology.
**3. High-Temperature Resistant Modified Nylon**
Modified nylon is widely used in the automotive industry as a replacement for steel in various applications. Blonde Technology developed PA66-G35 HS, a high-temperature-resistant material designed for engine components. This material exhibits excellent long-term heat resistance. As shown in Figure 4, the tensile strength of PA66-G35 HS remains above 50% after 2000 hours at 210°C, whereas standard PA66-G35 materials lose nearly all their mechanical properties within the same timeframe. At 180°C, the tensile strength of PA66-G35 HS remains largely unchanged after 4000 hours, indicating its suitability for high-temperature environments such as engine compartments or other areas requiring long-term durability.
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