Metal replacement geared to boost plastics consumption in the automotive industry

Faced with growing concerns about the impact that automobiles have on our environment, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are facing a new reality: the drive to dramatically reduce fuel consumption and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions.

While alternative fuels are still in an incipient phase of development, the automotive industry must quickly look to other solutions which aid in the effort of environmental protection.

The result is the burgeoning of a new trend to embrace the use of lighter weight materials that will replace heavier, less eco-friendly metal components and parts.

In Europe, studies have shown that plastics materials as an alternative to metal helps to decrease fuel consumption in European cars by 750 litres over a life span of 150 000 kilometres. This alone suggests a sharp improvement in the volume of our CO2 emissions.

More importantly, the amount of plastics materials required is significantly less than its metal counterparts: only 100 kilograms of plastics are needed to replace 200-300 kilograms of conventional material. Metal replacement holds the potential to cut our oil consumption by 12 million tonnes and implies an annual reduction in our CO2 emissions by 30 million tonnes in Western Europe alone.

These studies are strongly suggestive of the industry’s need to integrate more plastics materials in their automotive designs. 

The emergence of lighter weight solutions 

Currently in the automotive industry, polypropylene (PP) is the most widely used thermoplastic compound, delivering durable solutions to a range of end applications. Borealis has taken the lead in this rapidly evolving trend by developing new, innovative resins that serve a spectrum of automotive components and parts, including:

• Bumpers,
• Fenders,
• Body panels.

Borealis has been successful in developing superior performance materials that fit with novel types of conversion processes and has actively been involved in advanced simulation and creative concept designs. In consequence, the entire value chain benefits from lower weight solutions that ultimately help curb CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.

We have recently replaced several different materials that were highly dense materials and impeded design flexibility, such as:

• BMW X5 Fender. The fender was traditionally produced with steel but is now manufactured with our Daplen TPO Compound. This has enabled a 50% weight reduction in the fender. The compound also adheres to safety requirements of EuroNCAP 2010. 
• Iveco Stralis Front Bumper and Front Truck Body Panel. These parts that have been produced using Sheet Mould Compounds (SMC), an unsaturated Polyester thermoset, was replaced by our light weight solution of Daplen TPO Compounds for the aesthetic parts, and our robust Nepol LGF compounds for structural carriers. This PP solution has resulted in an overall 35 % weight reduction in the final part and a significant cost-savings in production. 
• Smart Exterior Body Panels. These body panels were produced using polybutylene-terephthalate (PBT)/polycarbonate (PC) blends, and our High performance Daplen TPO Compounds, lead to an overall 20% decrease in the weight of the panels. In addition, the material provides superior flow-ability that reduces the thickness of the final part by 10%. 

Lowering density without compromising performance

In addressing the global challenge of cutting our CO2 emissions, Borealis has also developed lower density materials that help decrease the weight of automotive components and parts, without inhibiting their ability to fulfil performance requirements.

Our Borcom Micro-composites is one such example. Borcom Micro-composites are materials that are even less dense than consolidated PP compounds, representing a new generation of materials capable of lowering the weight of heavier components and parts like bumpers and climate control housing units.

Indeed, plastics materials contribute to bringing the industry’s goal of protecting our climate and environment a step closer. In the future, we can expect further progress in research and development to combine novel materials coping with various foaming technologies that would ultimately reduce part weight, and further metal replacement in more complex areas such as interior structural carriers with High Performance Glass Modified compounds.