For almost two decades, an expert committee, meeting once a year, has supported Kunststoffe magazine in determining the state of play in the plastics industry and identifying current technical developments. This time, the traditional spring meeting gave it an opportunity to debate the consequences of the Corona virus.

Taking new paths: during the Corona crisis, certain technical obstacles were also overcome by the Kunststoffe publisher advisory committee, who held a round table discussion by video conference for the first time. Present by video link were, among others, (top, from left) Dr. Guiscard Glück, Prof. Christian Hopmann (bottom, from left) Martin Würtele and Dr. Achim Eggert

16:9

Current Challenges and Options for Action in the Plastics Industry

Wirtschaftspolitik in Deutschland

Wirtschaft

Verpackungsmaterial

Logistik

Klotz, Karlhorst, Dr.

Internationale Wirtschaft

Verpackungsanlagen

Coilhandling

Recycling

Umweltmanagement

Kunststoff-Verpackungsmaschine

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Sondermaschinen

Kunststoff-Recycling

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Medizintechnik

Starting up under the Shadow  of Corona

DSM sells its Engineering Polymers business to Lanxess and the financial investor Advent. In return, the two companies are setting up a joint venture to which Lanxess is also contributing its PA and PBT business.

Lanxess is outsourcing its engineering plastics business to the joint venture.

Polybutylenterephthalat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Streifinger, Florian

Polyamide

Technische Kunststoffe

Lanxess and Advent to Buy DSM‘s Engineering Plastics Business

Aimplas closed 2021 with revenue of EUR 17.6 million, 20% more than in the previous year.

Aimplas reported nearly EUR 18 million in revenue in 2021.

Kreislaufwirtschaft

20 Percent Increase at Aimplas

Kraiburg TPE is expanding its portfolio of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) for automotive interiors with grades with a recycling content of up to 38 %.

The post-industrial recycled raw material used is waste material derived from the manufacturing process for plastic products. © Kraiburg TPE

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Recycling Content for Automotive Interiors

Additive manufacturer Grafe has developed a new update for its matting agent in 3D printing.

Compared to its predecessor, the matting agent halves the gloss level once again. 

Farbstoffe und Pigmente

Additive

Filamente für additive Verfahren

Andere Werkstoffe

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Additive Fertigung

3D Printing with Less Gloss

Colors can turn plastics products into real eye-catchers. Kunststoffe asked colorant manufacturers to predict which colors will be trending in the coming year.

Trend Report on the Coloring of Plastics

Pigmente

Masterbatches

Farbstoffe

Farben, flüssig

Garish or Necessarily Plain?

Effect pigments can be used to injection mold thermoplastic parts with a shiny metallic surface. However, non-uniform pigment orientation can lead to optical defects. Suitable simulation methodology enables defects to be predicted and prevented.

There is huge demand for automobiles that have metallic finishes. Plastic parts are often painted or electroplated for this purpose. Metallic effect pigments constitute an alternative. Audi and PEG are working on a simulation process for these pigments with a view to ruling out surface defects. 

Simulating Surface Defects in Parts Using Effect Pigments

Simulation

Software

Effektpigmente

Effective Prediction

High-performance plastics such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) offer many interesting opportunities for improving gears. However, precise statements about the relevant characteristic values are crucial for their effective use.

The mass balancer gear made of Vestakeep 5000 G is the first plastic gear used  in Mercedes-Benz transmissions. It replaces the metal gears previously used there. 

Designing Quieter, More Energy-Efficient Gears with PEEK

Polyetherketon

Zahnräder

Maschinenelemente

Lager

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Getting to the Heart of Wheels

The combination of injection compression molding, direct coating and partial film insert molding enables a novel design for the front module of the BMW iX electric vehicle. Important in the development were extensive trials carried out by plastics manufacturer Covestro in its technical lab.

Various production processes are combined to manufacture the front module of the BMW iX, known as the kidney.

Producing Large Exterior Parts with Integrated Functions and High-Quality Finishes

Polyurethan

Polycarbonat

Facelift for Electric Vehicles

Aimplas participates in European Space Agency project to develop new materials under microgravity conditions in the Earth’s orbit.

View of the northern region of the Earth.

Kunststoff

Bauwesen

Baustoffe

Unternehmen

kunststoffe.de

Aimplas Supports ESA Project

Due to the aspect of sustainability, natural fibers are interesting as reinforcements for plastics. To keep their ecological footprint as low as possible, it is advisable to use fibers from regionally grown plants.

The “perennial cup plant” is cultivated in Germany for biogas production. The fibers of the plant can be extracted from the resulting fermentation residues and subsequently used for composites.

Fermentation Residues from Biogas Production Are Turned into Fibers for Composites

Fasern

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Biokunststoffe

Faserverbundwerkstoffe

Lightweight Construction with  Regional Plant Fiber

The HolyGrail 2.0 Initiative aims to improve the sorting of plastic waste. But the method also has certain drawbacks. Here, luminescent pigments provide an alternative.

Marker masterbatches enable different information to be embedded in plastics. This can be used to improve the recycling circle.

Improved Sorting of Plastic Waste with Luminescent Pigments

Messtechnik

Additiv-Batches

Luminous Markers instead of Holy Grail

With the change from internal combustion engines to hybrid and electric vehicles, peak operating temperatures have dropped from 135 °C to 110 °C. At the same time, the number of operating hours compared to combustion engines has increased nine-fold. This has an influence on material selection.

A Comparison of PA66 and PPA for Electric Vehicles

Elektromotoren

Antriebe

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Higher Performance in Water

Plastic recyclates and plastics containing natural materials often have an unpleasant odor. That severely limits the application range of the plastics concerned. However, an odor barrier layer can help.

A skin layer containing additives prevents the emission of unpleasant odors that adhere to the recyclates.

Method to Prevent Odor Emission from Plastic Recyclates

Kunststoff-Rezyklat

Keeping the Smell in

Plastic manufacturer Dow has announced the launch of more sustainable polyolefin elastomers. The new brand will help the footwear industry to unlock a lower carbon footprint and develop more sustainable products.

Crocs is the first footwear brand to go-to-market with this new material technology.

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Walking on Bioplastics

Third “Automotive Interior Survey” Conducted

Easy-to-maintain and sustainable materials add value to customers.

In November 2021 Asahi Kasei, a diversified Japanese multinational company, conducted its third „Automotive Interior Survey“ together with Cologne, Germany-based market research institute Skoos in the four major automotive markets: the USA, Germany, China and Japan. 1,000 car users of varying income levels in each market responded to questions regarding their car purchasing behavior, understanding of automotive sustainability and preferences for the automotive interior. This survey supports the importance of Asahi Kasei’s Healthy Car Portfolio to help OEMs satisfy the needs of the end user.

Whether new or used, survey respondents prefer to continue to pursue ownership in the future. Car sharing or not having a car were not attractive options. 84% of car users in China prefer to buy, finance or lease a new car, and they are willing to spend an average of 31% more on their next car. With a 7% increase compared to the costs of their current car, the overall willingness of German car users to spend more money on their next car is significantly lower compared to the USA (+19%) and Japan (+10%). In addition, over half of car users prefer to purchase a new car over a used car.

Brand Loyalty is Still a Concern for OEMs

In addition, the results regarding brand loyalty confirm the findings of our surveys from 2019 and 2020, that consumers are willing to change brands quite easily. When it comes to purchasing a new car, on average only half of the car users in Germany would choose the same brand as the current car. However, while car users in the USA and Japan saw a similar trend to Germany, there was a stark contrast in China. In the world’s biggest automotive market 72% of car owners will consider a different car brand for their next purchase. These figures convey that a significant share of car users are not loyal to a single brand and must be convinced when shopping for their next car.

Cleanliness Continues to Play a Major Role in the Interior

While fuel/power consumption, drivetrain technology, running costs and driving performance remain as dominating decision factors, the interior design has been gaining importance in recent years. One of every two car users in the four main markets will take interior design into account for their next car purchase. With growing electrification and automation, it is expected that the interior will become the main differentiating factor in upcoming years, and its importance in the car purchasing process will further increase. A key finding of the first survey from 2019 showed that car users worldwide highly value the cleanliness inside their car. Also in 2021 64% of car users in Germany put a great emphasis on the cleanliness of their car, trumping intuitive operation (38%) and personalization (46%). A similar trend was seen in China (78%), Japan (72%) and USA (62%).

Car Users See High Benefit in Easy-to-maintain Surfaces

Whether it is a dirty floor, stains and scratches on the interior surfaces, or smell, the general understanding of cleanliness differs among the regions. While car users in China are clearly annoyed by “unpleasant odors” (48%) and the so-called “new car smell” (23%), the share of car users annoyed by these factors is significantly lower in the other regions. In contrast, “scratches on visible surfaces” are bothering one of every four car users in Germany (25%). This share has further increased compared to 2020 (21%). The same can be observed in the USA, with 29% of the car users being annoyed by scratches (2020: 19%). “Stains on fabrics” are also an annoyance factor for 30% of car users in Germany (2020: 26%) and 32% in the USA (2020: 26%). A major share in all regions sees a benefit in “water and dirt repellent surfaces,” with 74% in China, 70% in the USA, 65% in Japan and 63% in Germany. “Surface and seating materials that are easy to wash” was also in high regard, especially in the USA (81%) and in China (80%). Heiko Rother, General Manager Business Development Automotive at Asahi Kasei Europe, comments, “Cleanliness was highly valued by car users even before the pandemic. The last two years have further fueled this desire, and the definition of ‘cleanliness’ has broadened.” Mike Franchy, Director of North American Mobility at Asahi Kasei America, continues, “With the cost of vehicles increasing consumers have their vehicles longer and want surfaces that are highly durable, easy to clean and continue to look new over time. In addition, our Healthy Car portfolio of anti-microbial textiles and plastics, along with technology to ensure interior air quality, we have solutions for the OEMs to address these needs of the market.”

The findings of the survey show “Sustainability” is no longer only defined by the drivetrain technology, but also by the choice of materials. For example, roughly half of the car users in Germany, China and the USA characterize a sustainable car based on “materials made from highly recyclables”. In contrast, car users in Japan prioritized hybrid drivetrains to recyclables when characterizing sustainable automobiles. This growing awareness towards sustainability in automobiles is also reflected in the car user’s willingness to spend more money on a sustainable vehicle. In China, two out of three car users would pay more, in the USA and Japan every third, and in Germany every fourth. Heiko Rother concludes, “The definition and the perception of sustainability in automobiles is changing. Car users are looking more into the materials being used – electrification alone is not enough anymore. More sustainable interior surface materials that are also good-looking, durable, easy-to-maintain and clean will get more attention from car users. In the end, a ‘long-lasting’ material quality is being recognized as more sustainable.” Mike Franchy adds, “With our extensive product line of engineered plastics from Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, textiles from Sage Automotive Interiors and UVC technology from Crystal IS for interior air purification, we can collaborate with OEMs as a trusted partner to develop the interior functions and features the consumers demand.”

Asahi Kasei Corporation  

https://www.asaha-kasei.co.jp

Third “Automotive Interior Survey” shows: Easy-to-maintain and sustainable materials add value to customers.

2022-04-19 Asahi Kasei Studie

This survey is the global continuation of the “Asahi Kasei Europe Automotive Interior Survey” from 2019. To learn more about the past surveys please visit https://automotive.asahi-kasei.eu/stories-interior-story-2019/ https://automotive.asahi-kasei.eu/interior-story.

issue 04/2023

issue 03/2023

issue 02/2023

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