GE Helps BMW Push the Design Envelope of Its Luxury 6 Series Cars with Plastic Fenders Featuring Aggressive Styling and Lower Weight

The 6 Series coupe and convertible from BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke), one of Europe’s top automakers, represent the ultimate in automotive luxury and performance. The company, headquartered in Munich, Germany, places a strong emphasis on weight savings combined with industry-leading design to differentiate its cars and comply with legislative mandates. BMW sought a way to expand the use of plastics in its 2004 6 Series vehicles and turned to GE - Plastics for solutions.

GE – Plastics and BMW AG

The Challenge: Adding Design Flexibility While Shedding Vehicle Weight

Reducing vehicle weight for improved fuel efficiency is a constant challenge for automakers, who must balance this demand with consumer desires for new features and functionality – such as electronics – that can add pounds. For BMW, lighter weight is a critical element in the design and development of future models, even its luxury 6 Series coupe and convertible. The company had begun using plastics in a number of vehicle components and sought to expand their applications even farther.

According to Hans Schwager, Director of Plastics Development and Processing, Product Concepts and Architecture, Vehicle Integration for BMW Group, “For the 2004 6 Series cars, we were looking for a way to use plastics in a large part that would have a big impact on weight savings and fuel economy. At the same time, we hoped to find a resin that would give us additional design options and performance advantages. Finally, we wanted to achieve this without having to make overly expensive modifications to our manufacturing line.”

The Solution: GE’s Noryl* GTX Resin for Painted Body Panels

Working closely with GE, BMW chose painted Noryl GTX* modified PPO/PA alloy to replace steel in the fenders of its 6 Series cars. The resin was selected for its broad chemical resistance, stiffness, impact strength, and superior high-heat performance as well as lower weight. Noryl GTX resin can accommodate BMW’s in-line paint methods.

“Fenders and other body panels molded of GE’s Noryl resin – as well as other GE materials – can reduce weight by up to 40 percent compared with steel,” said Anne Rohinsky, Automotive Global Marketing Communications Manager. “At the same time, GE’s resins surpass steel in design flexibility. They can be molded into complex shapes that are difficult to achieve with metal.”

Schwager said, “We selected Noryl GTX resin for the fenders on the BMW 6 series because it provided our designers with unprecedented freedom and gave us the weight savings we had targeted. And, it met our stringent requirements for paint-line oven temperatures.”

The Benefits: Sleek Design with a Lighter Touch on the Scale

The use of GE’s Noryl GTX resin gave BMW designers new creative freedom that sets the 6 Series apart from the competition. Automotive designers increasingly prefer GE resins for their superior styling flexibility. At the same time, GE’s automotive exterior resin offerings demonstrate exceptional performance such as weatherability and chemical and impact resistance that help withstand harsh driving conditions and dents from road debris.

Currently, plastics account for about 13 percent of the weight of a BMW auto, and the company anticipates this will rise to about 18 percent over the next five years.

Today, painted body panels molded from GE - Plastics’ engineered resins can be found on 19 vehicle platforms produced by nine automotive manufacturers worldwide. With more engineering thermoplastic body panels on the road than any other resin supplier, GE understands that customers want product options that can be used in major automotive painting processes.

On-line and in-line painted body panels can be molded from non-conductive Noryl GTX resins, or from conductive Noryl GTX resin grades that eliminate the need for primers. Xenoy* resin can be specified for off-line painted panels or for molded-in color panels, which do not require painting.

Lexan* SLX film offers advanced “paint-free” options for body panels. It delivers Class A surface finish with deep gloss, resists scratching and chemicals, and can withstand prolonged exposure to UV light without fading.

Details at www.trelec.fr