MATERIALS | AUTOMOTIVE


Opel’s Grandland Electric SUV has an illuminated insignia made from Roehm’s Plexiglas


must follow international regulations for vehicle lighting. This is why the Opel brand is also illumi- nated in red (the required colour for rear lights). Thanks to a fine surface structure, the red light of the LEDs is emitted only through the front of the otherwise crystal-clear letters. Hella makes the transparent cover from the


same material because – as well as its transparency – it has good UV- and weather-resistance, so will not yellow over time.


humidifiers. These benefit from the material’s stable mechanical properties across varying temperatures during the whole lifetime (minimum requirement of 25,000 hours) of the electric vehicle. EQ grades are subject to special quality standards that cover raw material selection, the production process and analysis of halogen content. “We understand the increasing challenges of thermal management under harsh conditions for PPAs,” said Marc Keller of global marketing PPAs at BASF. “With the new HR and EQ grades, we enable our customers to meet these challenges while maintaining performance and safety of their applications.”


As well as the new HR and EQ grades, BASF


offers T1000 LT grades for parts that require laser-welding.


Bright idea The new Grandland Electric SUV from Opel includes an illuminated insignia made from Plexiglas PMMA, from Röhm. Hella Lighting produced the multi-part rear light


using Plexiglas moulding compounds. The three- dimensional lettering is injection-moulded in one piece. The letters are approximately 30mm high and long, and 10nn deep. “The challenge is to achieve uniform thickness and avoid cracks and sink marks,” said Samuel Tomka, head of the optical development depart- ment at Hella Slovakia. The grade chosen has maximum optical purity and light-guiding properties, a high heat deflection temperature and mechanical stability. Rafal Czokow, senior business manager in


Röhm’s moulding compounds business, added: “Thanks to its well-balanced melt viscosity, the moulding compound is well suited for injection moulding and offers great freedom of design.” Because the lettering is part of the rear light, it


20 INJECTION WORLD | May/June 2025


Chemical resistance Sabic has introduced its LNP Elcres CXL PC range of copolymers to address high chemical exposure in industries including automotive. The new resins have high chemical resistance,


exceeding the performance of amorphous materi- als like polycarbonate (PC) resins and ABS blends, it says. Testing revealed that LNP Elcres CXL copolymer resins were resistant to diverse chemi- cals including gasoline, antifreeze and brake fluid. “These resins can help keep pace with the


increasing risks of performance and aesthetic degradation posed by more-widespread use of chemicals,” said Scott Fisher, general manager for technology in Sabic Polymers specialities business. The portfolio includes opaque and transparent non-flame retardant (FR) grades, opaque, thin-wall FR grades and glass-reinforced options. The materials also have features such as non-brominat- ed/non-chlorinated FR at thin gauges, low-temper- ature ductility (down to -60°C), high flow for easy processing and good colourability to meet aesthetic requirements.


Flame performance The Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF) is looking for partners in a project to incorporate halogen-free flame retardants (HFFRs) into recycled materials – for use in industries including automotive. The project, HFFR-Up2Cycle, will investigate


these materials by simulating closed-loop process- es for plastics containing flame retardants. It is aimed at OEMs, manufacturers of plastic compo- nents, raw material suppliers, compound develop- ers and industry associations. Due to the likely introduction of recycling quotas in many industries – and the associated increasing demand for recycled plastics – the project will focus on upgrading materials for use in high-quality HFFR applications. The tailor-made re-stabilisation of the recycled plastics used is intended to show how targeted upgrading of recyclates can help to achieve recyclate quotas and circular applications


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IMAGE: ROEHM


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