Automotive

Leading companies from the resin supply, moldmaking, and injection molding machinery industries have joined forces in a technical cooperation to help promote and support polycarbonate automotive glazing in Japan. Bayer MaterialScience brings its Makrolon-brand polycarbonate (PC) to the project, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries supplying its injection molding machinery expertise, and Kyowa Industrial its moldmaking prowess.

Painting of plastics, or any material, can be a very costly process, with the costs even higher if environmental responsibility is on the agenda. But Alliance Surface Finishing thinks its powder-coating process could be a game changer in the way all plastics are painted. "This will change the way the world paints," predicts Robert Langlois, CEO and president of the company.

Plastics supplier Ticona is using this week's ITB Automotive Energy Storage Systems and 11th Annual Automotive Fuel Systems 2010 Conference to highlight its most recent developments in materials for fuel-contact applications. The conference takes place March 3-4 in Novi, MI.

A new high-clarity, high-gloss, non-stress-whitening olefin capstock material can be directly co-extruded onto polyethylene (PE), creating sheets with a painted plastics appearance for a cost-effective, decorative, and durable thermoformed product. A.

While the automotive industry began to steer toward modest growth in developed economies with a sharper rebound in emerging markets, the fourth quarter of 2009 capped what was a brutal year for the sector. In its fourth-quarter earnings statement, global Tier One supplier Lear Corp. (Southfield, MI) reported that for the full year, production in mature markets declined sharply, with North America down 32% from the year earlier and off 50% from its 2000 peak. In Europe, production was down 17% from the prior year and 22% off its 2007 peak.

Custom industrial parts blowmolder Agri-Industrial Plastics entered the non-automotive fuel tank market in 1995 and now has made another big bet on that market, adding another multilayer continuous extrusion blowmolding machine in a move that effectively doubles its capacity for these fuel tanks.

Aluminum injection molds used to be thought ideal only for low-volume applications using commodity materials. That is changing as OEMs look more closely at tooling costs and cycle times to reduce piece-part pricing, and overall manufacturing cost.

The engine cover on the Ford Fusion Hybrid utilizes a metallic-effect compound from PolyOne that mimics the luster of a painted polymer without the extra energy requirements and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that painting can produce. Injection molded by MPC Inc. (Walworth, WI), a Ford World Excellence-recognized supplier, the engine cover utilizes PolyOne's Maxxam FX Metal for a clean finish and reduced carbon footprint.

Electric vehicles—plug-in hybrids and battery powered—will comprise nearly 20% of the global market for light vehicles in 2030 says a study by automotive industry analysts at IHS Global Insight.

Chemicals and silicone supplier Wacker, in collaboration with the "society for innovation" (INPRO)—a joint venture of BASF, Daimler, Siemens, ThyssenKrupp, Volkswagen, and the state government of Berlin, Germany—has developed a new silicone rubber specifically designed to meet tough automotive-industry demands. Testing shows this sealant can be applied in, for instance, oil pans, cylinder-head covers, and oil separators, and can replace the solid rubber gaskets usually inserted in these underhood systems, often at great trouble.