Engineering Plastics
High performance plastics as innovation drivers Current developments in the automotive industry are being made possible with new engineering plastics materials that meet durability, lightweight and cost efficient requirements, says Angelica Buan in this report.
Trinseo’s new ABS LGF enables high dimensional stability and high stiffness, making it a lightweight alternative for semi-structural components
34
MAY 2019
T
he diamond stone, believed to be the hardest material on earth, has been revered for centuries for its “indestructible” properties. Times have changed and man has discovered there are far tougher and stronger materials, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and others that are more sustainable than mining diamonds. Materials like plastics have become the backbone for developing high performance, stronger, tougher, lighter weight, and with more physical properties, suited for a broader range of industrial applications. Cornered in this is the engineering plastics market that is projected to grow exponentially, creating multi-billion dollar opportunities. A recent report from Markets and Markets forecasts the global engineering plastics market to cross US$115 billion by 2023 from US$81 billion in 2018. The key drivers for the market are growing end-use industries and replacement of traditional materials such as metals, aluminium, and commodity plastics, especially in the automotive arena. Revving up efficiency in automotive applications The largest end-use industry for engineering plastics is the automotive and transportation for applications such as connectors and housing, under-the-hood components, wheels and more. The demand for engineering plastics in the automotive and transportation industry in vehicle importing and producing countries is driving the market. The market specifically for the automotive plastics segment is poised to expand at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2019 to 2025 from US$31.7 billion in 2018, as reported by Grand View Research. Engineering plastics used for vehicles are required to be durable, strong, recyclable, as well as be scratch, abrasion and chemical resistant; be able to improve vibration and noise control; and allow design and integration of components. Now that fuel efficiency is a significant benchmark in vehicles, light weighting can be achieved using plastics. While plastic make up half of the total volume of a modern car, plastics contribute only 10% of the car’s total weight. In consideration of lighweighting, US materials manufacturer Trinseo has launched a nylon that can replace metal in semi-structural components, providing up to 30% weight savings compared to magnesium or aluminium. Trinseo’s new ABS LGF enables high dimensional stability and high stiffness, making it the lightweight alternative for semistructural components, it said. As a structural polymer, the ABS LGF material offers not only lower weight than magnesium, but also low VOC and low odour properties, and enables faster production cycle times. It has been used in the new BMW 3 Series. Working in co-operation with German automotive component supplier Dräxlmaier, Trinseo was able to optimise the behaviour of the material in terms of stiffness, warpage, crash and head impact, creating very narrow tolerances, and stability of the final component. Norwin van Riel, Technology Leader at Trinseo, stated that the new ABS LGF alloy product has enabled them to develop a thermoplastic composite that