5 Mar 2008
Green approach from DSM Engineering Plastics:
WEIGHT REDUCTION IN AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS
Weight reduction is vital in automotive in order to help reduce fuel consumption and emission levels to meet today's and future standards. One way to reduce weight in a car is to design applications as much as possible in plastics instead of in metal. As metal prices have increased more than the cost of plastics raw materials, this can also lead to further system cost reductions. Other benefits are greater freedom of design, parts intergration and greater corrosion resistance.
DSM Engineering Plastics has a long proven track record in metal replacement. Now a further step in value creation is made by developing new applications in plastics, including:
Stanyl® high performance polyamide in metal-rubber applications
Switching from metal to Stanyl® high performance polyamide can lead to cost reductions of up to 35% and weight reductions of up to 80% in metal-rubber applications such as engine mounts, top mounts, and exhaust mounts. Other benefits of Stanyl® are function integration possibilities and longer lifetime because of no corrosion. Stanyl® high performance polyamide is also being used for ETC gears, where the material offers significant weight reduction of up to 50% and greater design freedom versus sintered metals; something which in the end leads to the reduction of valve response times at high frequencies and operating temperatures.
Arnite® PET in throttle valve bodies
Electronic throttle controls are used to regulate the air mass flow to the engine. Replacing aluminium with Arnite® PET for the throttle valve body yields a range of benefits, including a reduction of the cost per part of 75%, a reduction of the weight of the part by 60%, no icing, increased design freedom and improved fuel efficiency as a result of the supreme surface appearance. Arnite® PET is the ideal material for this application because of its unique combination of properties such as high strength & stiffness, good heat resistance and excellent dimensional stability.
Moreover, a special grade Arnite® AV2 370 XT has been developed for throttle valve bodies with extreme narrow specifications on glass fiber content and viscosity leading to very narrow shot-to-shot and batch-to-batch variations in part dimensions.
Akulon® Ultraflow PA6 for metal replacement applications
Akulon® Ultraflow PA6 30-60%GF is excellently suited for metal replacement projects because the material combines excellent flow characteristics with high productivity, and excellent surface appearance - even for 50-60%GF grades - as well as short molding cycles. The material has been approved for Air Bag Containers, which proves that the mechanical performance of Akulon® Ultraflow is at least on a par with standard PA6 grades.
Other applications for which Akulon® Ultraflow is suited, include structural reinforcements, pedestrian impact beams, oil sumps and pans, pneumatic valve housings and automotive seat adjuster parts. In non-automotive, Akulon® Ultraflow is used for furniture, seats, kitchen utensils and garden & lawn equipment.
Reader enquiries
DSM Engineering Materials
30 Pasir Panjang Road #13-31
Mapletree Business City
Singapore 117440
Singapore
Notes for editors
DSM Engineering Plastics
DSM Engineering Plastics is a Business Group in the performance materials cluster of DSM, with sales in 2007 of EUR 1068 million (which number includes the sales of DSM Dyneema) and approximately 1500 employees worldwide. It is one of the world's leading suppliers of engineering thermoplastics offering a broad portfolio of high performance products including Stanyl® high performance polyamide and Akulon® 6 and 66 polyamides, Arnitel® TPE-E, Arnite® PBT and PET polyesters, Xantar® polycarbonate, Yparex® extrudable adhesive resins. These materials are used in technical components for electrical appliances, electronic equipment and cars, in barrier packaging films as well as in many mechanical and extrusion applications. With Stanyl®, it is the global market leader in high heat polyamides.
DSM – the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company
DSM creates innovative products and services in Life Sciences and Materials Sciences , that contribute to the quality of life. DSM’s products and services are used globally in a wide range of markets and applications, supporting a healthier, more sustainable and more enjoyable way of life. End markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrics and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM has annual sales of almost EUR 8.8 billion and employs some 23,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations on five continents. DSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information on DSM can be found at www.dsm.com .
Editorial enquiries
Sandra Coolen
DSM Engineering Materials
Nancy van Heesewijk
EMG
Also available in