Excerpts from article:
The development of this mineral-reinforced material is Lanxess Lustran Polymers business unit’s response to the automobile industry’s increased demand for online coatable thermoplastics. The advantage of Triax DP 3157 is that its property profile has been customized for use in the manufacture of car bodies. It exhibits high stiffness and heat resistance, reduced water absorption and low thermal expansion. The recently renamed Lustran Polymers business unit of the Lanxess Group, located in the Spanish city of Tarragona, is the largest ABS plastics manufacturer in Spain and will service the European and Latin American markets.
The fender made from Triax DP 3157 is coated online because it can withstand the high temperatures of up to 200 °C that occur during cathodic dip coating (CDC). Thanks to specific product modification, the water absorption behavior has been optimized so that components manufactured from the material can be coated just as well in further coating processes. A further advantage is its relatively low linear thermal expansion, which ensures that low gap tolerances can be maintained between neighboring components.
Car owners also benefit from the advantages of these high-tech plastics. The material reduces vehicle weight, thereby also reducing fuel consumption, and, as it offers greater flexibility than conventional automotive components, minor bodywork damage is much less common.
The fact that the material is very easy to process is another of its selling points – its high flowability is ideal for components with large surface areas. Moreover, the material can be injection molded at mold temperatures of 70 to 80 °C, enabling the use of simple water-cooling for the mold.
The development of this mineral-reinforced material is Lanxess Lustran Polymers business unit’s response to the automobile industry’s increased demand for online coatable thermoplastics. The advantage of Triax DP 3157 is that its property profile has been customized for use in the manufacture of car bodies. It exhibits high stiffness and heat resistance, reduced water absorption and low thermal expansion. The recently renamed Lustran Polymers business unit of the Lanxess Group, located in the Spanish city of Tarragona, is the largest ABS plastics manufacturer in Spain and will service the European and Latin American markets.
Car owners also benefit from the advantages of these high-tech plastics. The material reduces vehicle weight, thereby also reducing fuel consumption, and, as it offers greater flexibility than conventional automotive components, minor bodywork damage is much less common.
The fact that the material is very easy to process is another of its selling points – its high flowability is ideal for components with large surface areas. Moreover, the material can be injection molded at mold temperatures of 70 to 80 °C, enabling the use of simple water-cooling for the mold.
