AUTOMOTIVE | COMPOUNDS
to meet the challenges of electric mobility. Among the new offerings is the Starflam 500 series from Ascend Performance Materials, which delivers improved insulation and dielectric strength as well as halogen-free flame-retardant grades and retains its colour even at high temperatures, and Poketone polyketone from Hyosung Chemical, which the company says “sets new standards in terms of safety and reliability”. It offers extreme toughness and dimensional stability, is more environmentally friendly and recyclable, and has twice the fracture toughness of competitor materials. Knut Seibel, Business Development Manager for Automotive, EMEA, at Ineos Styrolution said: “In the automotive industry, we are seeing an in- creased demand for sustainable materials from recycled feedstock or from bio-based feedstock driven by legislation like the 2030/31 ELV Directive. Our mechanically recycled ABS materials respond to this need, both for interior and exterior applica- tions. In Europe, we see an additional trend that make our ABS and ASA materials attractive for certain components related to battery solutions. In the past, most battery components required flame retardant solutions, but new guidelines require only those components in close vicinity to electric- ity to be flame retardant.” Last year the company launched a new Luran S
ASA, and the first applications featuring the new material are now coming to market. This April, a leading European automotive brand selected Luran S SPF60, which features high surface quality, good impact strength, and enhanced colour fastness, for the blackening panel of its line of trucks. “Luran S XA SPF60 was developed for demanding outdoor applications that require superior UV resistance and high gloss surfaces,” said Laura Nübling, Product Manager Luran S, EMEA. “When we developed the
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product, we had deep black automotive applica- tions like exterior trims, rear-view mirrors, and dual design front grilles [in mind].” The company also notes that in Asia the SUV body type has been increasing in popularity creating demand for spoilers where Luran HH (High Heat) ABS is used in the upper section and regular ASA in the lower section (without painting) to reduce costs and environment impact. “From our observations, most EV models still feature front grilles,” said Kok Wee Yong, Business Development Manager Advanced Styrenics, APAC, at Ineos Styrolution. “While some main grilles may be removed, lower grilles remain common in many designs. However, the role of front grilles in EVs has shifted from being functional to serving a purely aesthetic purpose, defining the vehicle’s design identity. Consequently, the material requirements have also changed, favouring characteristics like high gloss while being more flexible with heat resistance.” Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre, has launched the SurfTop Project to study the effects of using recycled materials in new parts with the primary objective of making it easier to comply with vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) requirements while maintaining the surface properties so highly prized by manufacturers. “Improving the quality of recycled materials from cars is key to using them more in the sector,” said Sergio Mayor Aroca, a researcher at the Automotive and Transportation Laboratory at Aimplas. “SurfTop is part of a circular economy strategy [focusing] on obtaining recycled raw materials from automotive industry waste for the manufacture of new parts that will be analysed in terms of volatile and semi-volatile compounds, as well as surface properties.”
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.envalior.com �
www.formerra.com �
www.avient.com �
www.wittenburggroup.com �
www.eurotec-ep.com �
www.celanese.com �
www.syensqo.com �
www.polyplastics.com �
www.borealisgroup.com �
https://groupe-plastivaloire.com �
https://kdfeddersen.com �
www.ascendmaterials.com �
www.hyosungchemical.com �
www.ineos-styrolution.com �
www.aimplas.net �
www.covestro.com
August 2024 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 57
Left: Ineos Styrolution Luran S SPF60 ASA features high surface quality, good impact strength and enhanced
colour fastness
IMAGE: INEOS STYROLUTION
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