The e.GO Life is an affordable electric car for short-range transport. Starting as a development project at the RWTH Aachen University campus, the first cars of this type were delivered in the middle of this year. For this car, the engineers use plastic panels for the vehicle’s body. The large-sized body panels are thermoformed by the plastics-processing company Parat in close collaboration with the plastic sheet manufacturer Senoplast.

All 59 plastic body panels of the e.GO Life electric vehicle were thermoformed very cost-effectively from semi-finished plastic products i. e. coextruded plastic sheets

59 Lightweight Components for the Body of the New Electric City Vehicle e.GO Life

Werkzeuge für Leichtbauwerkstoffe

Präzisionswerkzeuge

Elektromobilität

Mobilität

Leichtbau

Flachfolien- und Plattenextrusion

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Verfahren

Extrusion

Automotive

Fahrzeugbau

Polymethylmethacrylat

Kunststoff Werkstoffe

Thermoplaste

Platten

Halbzeuge und Zwischenprodukte

Kunststoff-Halbzeuge

Polycarbonat

Lightweight Construction

Electric-vehicle makers looking for fresh impetus are turning to thermoplastics, as these can be used to  improve the safety, performance and sustainability of the vehicles. Initial application areas for manufacturers can be found in a multitude of components ranging from battery cases to busbars, cooling lines and seals. Things become very interesting when material suppliers offer support in the form of CAE and injection molding analyses.

Thermoplastics play an important role in the batteries of electric vehicles. They help to keep battery temperatures in the optimal range for a long service life and high performance. 

16:9

Improving the Performance of Electric Vehicles with the Right Materials

Kfz-Elektronik

Elektronik

Polyamide

Technische Kunststoffe

Electric, Environmentally Friendly, Thermoplastic

The conditions in electric vehicles place high demands on the materials used. Therefore, automakers and suppliers must resort to expensive, high-performance plastics. For many applications, cost-effective alternatives are plastics whose properties have been greatly improved by means of treatment with high-energy electron beams.

Fig. 1. Crosslinked engineering plastics can be used for many different applications in electric vehicles.

Irradiation Crosslinking Replaces High-Performance Plastics with Cheaper Polymers

Strahlenvernetzung

Kunststoff-Aufbereitung

Hochleistungskunststoffe

Electron Booster for Electric Vehicles

Electromobility in particular, but also many other electrical applications, are asking for ever higher demands regarding the electrical properties of thermoplastics. This raises the question of whether the polymers commonly used in this area can still meet these demands. The plastics manufacturer, Lanxess, has now investigated how suitable, for example, polyamide and polybutylene terephthalate are for use at higher voltages and temperatures.

How Suitable Are PA and PBT for High-Voltage Applications?

Polybutylenterephthalat

Leistungselektronik

Against the Current

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

Higher Performance in Water

A focal point of the Lanxess booth at the show this year will be materials for electromobility.

The demonstrator of a near-series- production housing for electric vehicle batteries is one of the highlights at  the Lanxess booth.

Messe K-Kunststoffmesse

kunststoffe-international.com

kunststoffe.de

Demonstrator for EV Battery Housings

Electric vehicles can be charged not only at charging stations, but also wirelessly. Here, the energy exchange takes place between an induction coil positioned in the ground and a receiver coil mounted in the e-car.

Wireless charging could increase the range, and therefore the acceptance of electromobility.

Flame Retardant Polyamide for Inductive Charging Systems

No Cable thanks to Suitable Compounds

Due to the climate change, new fields of development and sustainability topics have come into focus along the added-value chain.

Polyamide continues to be one of the most important technical plastics in the automotive sector, where it enjoys widespread use. This not only applies for classical internal combustion vehicles, but in terms of volume will also be the case for electric vehicles.

Polyamides: Electromobility and Sustainability Boost Developments

Kunststoff-Recycling

Dual Change with Polyamides

Ascend Performance Materials will focus on electromobility and sustainability at K. The company made this announcement at a press conference in advance of the trade show.

Wide Range of PA Innovations

Dupont is adding new, more sustainable grades to the Hytrel TPC-ET product family. Hytrel Eco B is based proportionately on renewable raw materials.

Kautschuk / Elastomere

Thermoplastische Elastomere

Kunststoffe, biobasiert

Biokunststoffe

TPC with up to 72 Percent Biomass Content

The aim of this joint project is to develop a production cell in which a rear license plate light can be manufactured with hybrid processes without any additional steps such as bonding. Some of the necessary analyses and pre-testing of the material combinations resulting from the structure of the product – plastic housing and optics plus metal conductive tracks – are presented in this article.

Lighting  solutions on various products. 

Manufacture of a Rear License Plate Light in a Highly Integrated Production Cell

Spritzgießen

LED / OLED-Systeme und Faseroptik

Lichttechnik

Hybrid-Spritzgießen (Metall / Kunststoff)

What Is the Most Suitable  Material Combination?

The aim of this work was to achieve transparent PC/PMMA-blends by continuous reactive extrusion while improving mechanical and optical properties.

Blend

Kunststoffe

Photonik

Optik

Optische Mess- und Prüfverfahren

Qualitätssicherung

Qualitätssicherung Kunststoff

Transparent PC/PMMA blends: influence of functionalization on optical, morphological and mechanical properties

Polykemi AB, Ystad, Sweden, has the automotive sector firmly in its sights and is positioning itself with innovations in blends, high-performance plastics, and lightweight design and recycling applications at Fakuma 2017. 

Polykemi 

Verstärkungsstoffe

Fasern

Novelties for Exterior and Interior Applications 

geba Kunststoffcompounds GmbH  

https://www.geba.eu

Compound

Compoundeure

Handel

Dienstleistungen

Kunststoffverarbeitung: Maschinen und Komponenten

Pigmente

Additive

Polyacetale

Polyacrylate

Polyester

Styrol-Copolymerisate

New developments by the raw material producers are responding to current application trends. Requirements are changing due to the advent of networked and semi-automated electric vehicles and the different mobility infrastructure. Products for digitalization and energy and resource efficiency are also moving center stage.

New Mobility Forms and Digitalization Are Shaping the Development of Engineering and High-Performance Plastics

Polyetherketon

Oberflächenbeschichtung

Holz

Anlagen Additive Fertigung / 3D-Druck, Kunststoff

Anlagen für die Additive Fertigung

Hybridwerkstoffe

Andere Werkstoffe

Verbundwerkstoffe / Werkstoffverbunde

Oberflächentechnik

Filamente für additive Verfahren

Werkstoffe für additive Verfahren

Oberflächenveredelung

Lohnfertigung

Technology Made Easy

Suitable Materials for Smart  Vehicle Design

At K 2022, it was clearly shown that with suitable materials not only can CO2 emissions be reduced, but also advantages in component design achieved.

Currently, the plastics and automotive industries are undergoing a large transformation. Both are faced with demands for more sustainability. How these can be achieved was illustrated by various exhibits at this year’s K trade fair. Hereby, it was clearly shown that with suitable materials not only can CO2 emissions be reduced, but also advantages in component design achieved.

Currently, the plastics and automotive industries are undergoing a large transformation. They are faced with demands from society for more sustainability. How both industries are jointly dealing with these changes was clearly shown at the K 2022. Hereby it became clear: with suitable materials not only can CO2 emissions be reduced, but also advantages in component design achieved.

Two days before the K opened, the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) had presented their traditional SPE Automotive Awards. Many of the award-winning components could be appraised at the exhibition. Hereby it became clear how important the suitable material is for successful implementation in many cases.

For example, the control module of a truck brake system was shown at the booth of EMS-Chemie (Fig. 1). It combines a total of seven individual modules in one component. The module controls e.g. the braking and emergency braking system, the antilock brake system, and the undercarriage. Thanks to the combination of different functions in one component, the number of individual parts and the weight are reduced. The latter is also achieved by the replacement of metal components with plastic parts. Both solutions are intended to reduce CO2 footprint, and also ensure better recyclability.

The module was developed by Haldex Brake Products together with KB Components and EMS. The combination of different functions in a single module, and its application in the automotive sector means that the material used must exhibit adequate resistance against e.g. road salt, diesel fuel, alkaline detergents, brake fluid, as well as coolants and solvents. Therefore, a high-temperature stabilized polyphthalamide (PPA) of the Grivory HTV series from EMS is used.

Another award-winning component was shown at the Akro-Plastic booth. It involves a hybrid brake disk protection for motorcycles (Fig. 2). Exciting features of the component are the process used for its production, and the material. It was manufactured using the Conexus technology – a jointing procedure that creates a molecular bond between thermoplastics and thermosets.

For this, a coupling film is connected with the thermoset by means of isothermal hot press molding, and subsequently back-molded with polyamide (PA). The material used is a PA510 from Akro-Plastic – a bio-based PA reinforced with long glass fibers. The prepreg used was reinforced with natural fibers. Both ensure that the component has the necessary mechanical properties with a simultaneously reduced CO2 footprint. Participators in the development were KTM Technologies, Altendorfer Kunststofftechnik, Alba Tooling & Engineering, Bcomp, Akro-Plastic, the engineering company Zahler, and the Fraunhofer ICT.

Another award winner was showcased at the Lanxess booth: a battery pack for electric vehicles (Fig. 3). Developed together with Kautex, the demonstrator is based on the battery housing of the ID.3, Volkswagen’s e-auto flagship. According to the plastics manufacturer, it is the first battery pack for electric vehicles that is made entirely of thermoplastics. The component was produced in a single-stage impact extrusion process. Because of the component’s size, a specially adapted material was required – the glass fiber-reinforced PA6 Durethan B24CMH2.0 from Lanxess. Its flowability has been improved, and therefore meets the requirements of the production process. Moreover, to protect the battery pack from damage, the crash-relevant places were strengthened with the PA6 composite Tepex dynalite 102-RGUD600 reinforced with continuous fibers. In case of a collision, the fabric’s structure ensures that the energy is deflected accordingly, thereby protecting the battery.

The demonstrator is intended to show the improvements offered by replacing metal with plastics for battery packs. And these are really notable. Compared with an aluminum model, the plastic version saves about 15 % in weight. Also the component’s CO2 footprint is significantly lower. It is claimed to be up to 40 % lower. This is partially due to the far lower energy consumption for producing the PA6 compared with aluminum. Also the usual finishing steps for metal, such as e.g. cathodic dip coating for corrosion prevention, are eliminated by the single-stage productions process. Furthermore, items such as fixing elements and stiffening ribs can be integrated directly. This ensures less installation work, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Interest from the automotive industry has definitely been aroused. Currently, says Lanxess, road tests are being conducted with the demonstrator in a series vehicle.

In general, batteries for electric vehicles are an important focal point of development for plastics producers at present. Hereby, protection against thermal runaway of individual cells or the entire battery plays a major role. If this is not ensured, there is a risk of fire. In order to give passengers enough time to exit from the vehicle and move away from it in such a case, materials are required that withstand very high temperatures for a long time, and prevent heat from being released to the surroundings.

For this, Wacker presented a silicone-elastomer mix that is applied to the battery housing’s interior. In case of corresponding temperature effects, the mix ceramifies and forms a protective layer against the heat. Although just a few millimeters thick, the layer is said to withstand temperatures of more than 1000 °C.

A technology shown by Asahi Kasei could lead to another major change in vehicle production. The Japanese chemical company introduced a hard coating method for polycarbonate (PC). It ensures adequate scratch resistance so that the polymer can be used for vehicle windscreens. Thanks to the coating, the PC meets the abrasion resistance and weatherability requirements for safety glass in vehicles, as specified in Regulation UN ECE R43, according to the company. Consequently, it might be possible in future to replace the glass windows in vehicles. Asahi Kasei has installed the new technology in its concept car that was presented at the K 2022. The vehicle’s large transparent dome is made of correspondingly coated PC (Fig. 4).

Hereby, the dome addresses another focal issue of the automotive industry: sustainable materials –because the raw material for the PC is CO2. The corresponding production method also originates from the Japanese company, and meanwhile has been marketable for 20 years. According to the Japanese, they were the first company to offer such a technology. Instead of using it themselves, Asahi Kasei licenses it to other companies. The chemical company says that meanwhile 15  % of global PC is produced in this way.

Just before the exhibition started, the French automaker Citroën and BASF had introduced another concept car. With the design study named “Oli”, the two companies want to give impulses for a more sustainable and simultaneously affordable mobility. Therefore, a central issue of the vehicle is the reduction of non-essential parts and functions. This is intended to save weight and resources. This is nicely illustrated by the absence of an entertainment and navigation system. Instead, the idea is to provide both functions via the passenger’s smartphones and mobile speakers. An exciting and simultaneously controversial approach is also the top speed limit of 110 km/h, which is intended to extend the electric vehicle’s range.

Unfortunately, visitors to the K were not able to experience the overall concept car live. At the time of the trade fair, it was being shown at the Paris Autosalon. But the basic idea was well explained by the car seat on show at the BASF booth (Fig. 5). The seat was completely printed in 3D, and its open grid structure is intended to provide ventilation, thereby eliminating the need for ventilating fans. It is made completely of a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). This mono-material approach simplifies recycling, and was also used for other parts of the vehicle.

Functional Integration Using  Layered Construction

A nice summary of current trends in automobile interiors was provided by a component in the booth of Covestro. The surface of the trim part consists of real wood. Particularly in this field, natural materials are very popular, says the plastics producer. Also in high demand are appealing lighting designs that are directly integrated in the components and serve as ambient illumination. Important hereby is that light sources such as LEDs are only visible when switched on, and are not noticeable otherwise, similar to the black panel effect of displays. There is also an increasing demand for integrated lighting effect controls and other functions such as touch operation.

For the exhibited component, this was implemented by means of a layer structure. For the back lighting, a layer of Makroblend OM – a glass fiber-reinforced PC blend – is mounted under the real wood surface. The material is transparent and therefore translucent, and exhibits the necessary stiffness and stretchability. Touch and other operating functions are implemented via a rear film with integral electronics. The top layer consists of a glass fiber-reinforced PC/ABS blend. In spite of the numerous integrated functions, the component’s thickness is just 7 mm.

However, black panel effects are of interest not only for displays and interior lighting. For example, exterior tail lamps can be produced, which merge completely with the vehicle body when switched off, and only become visible when switched on. To make this possible, “neutral gray” colored materials are required. For this, plastics producer Röhm showcased a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) molding compound at the exhibition, which is designed specifically for such tail lamps. The compound’s special feature is its higher transmission of red light (Fig. 6). This permits automakers and suppliers to manufacture red lamps with fewer LEDs or light sources with lower luminosity, which in turn cuts costs and reduces energy and resource consumption.

Old Tires Converted into a  Green Door Handle

An exhibit at the BASF booth demonstrated very well how the CO2 footprint of automotive components can be reduced. A door handle in matching green (Fig. 7) is made of a glass fiber-reinforced PA6. For its production, BASF used pyrolysis oil from chemically recycled old tires as well as biomethane from agricultural waste and waste from the foodstuffs industry. Both raw materials are used as feedstock for production, and subsequently assigned to the PA6 according to the mass balance principle. BASF says that production has been certified according to the REDcert2 scheme.

The door handle was produced by the automotive supplier Witte Automotive. In future, the new component will be fitted as standard in different Mercedes Benz S-Class models and in their EQE electric vehicle.

LANXESS Deutschland GmbH  

Wacker Chemie AG  

https://www.wacker.com

Akro-Plastic GmbH  

https://www.akro-plastic.com

EMS-CHEMIE AG  

https://www.ems-group.com

Röhm GmbH  

https://www.roehm.biz

BASF SE  

https://www.basf.com

Covestro AG  

https://www.covestro.com

Asahi Kasei Europe GmbH  

https://www.asahi-kasei.eu

Ausgabenartikel

Fig. 1. Seven at a blow – the control module from Haldex Brake Products combines a total of seven modules in a single component.

Fig. 2. Exciting features of the brake disk protection are both the production process as well as the material used: the applied jointing method creates a molecular bond between thermosets and thermoplastics. The thermoplastic used is a bio-based PA from Akro-Plastic.

Fig. 3. The battery demonstrator is based on the battery of the ID.3. The housing was manufactured entirely of plastic in a single-stage process. For protection, it was reinforced with a continuous fiber composite at specific points.

Fig. 4. The dome of Asahi Kasei’s concept car is made of PC. A specially developed coating increases scratch resistance and weatherability, thereby meeting the requirements for windscreens.

Fig. 5. The joint vehicle study “Oli” from Citroën and BASF is intended to show how future electric vehicles can become more sustainable and affordable. For improved recyclability, the seat is made completely of a mono-material.

Fig. 6. Tail lamps with low resource and energy consumption are made possibly by a PMMA from Röhm. The material is more transmissive for red light, permitting the lamps to be built using fewer and lower-luminosity LEDs.

Fig. 7. Tires to door handles – the PA6 used to produce the Mercedes Benz S-Class component is made from pyrolysis oil from old tires and biomethane. 

The Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei showed its concept vehicle at K 2022. The domed roof in particular could lead to a few changes in future automobiles.

KUint9_K-Highlights_Werkstoffe - Hauptartikel

With suitable materials CO2 emissions can be reduced and advantages in component design can be achieved.

Materials: K 2022 Highlights

Read the German version of the article in our magazine Kunststoffe or at <a href="https://www.kunststoffe.de/a/fachartikel/die-automotive-highlights-der-k-2022-3179200" target="_blank">www.kunststoffe.de</a>