While the renewable nature of bioplastics may be appealing, the materials may not always lead directly to the goal of weight reduction in vehicles. Some bioplastics actually have higher material densities than traditional petroleum-based plastics, as demonstrated by seat foams and upholstery made from soy-based materials that are beginning to show up in some European vehicles.<\/p>\n
The global automotive plastics industry is experiencing strong growth. A recent Grand View Research report predicts the auto plastics market will reach $41.5 billion by 2020. The boom is due to a combination of increased global demand for autos, the need for lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles that meet regulations such as the U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE), and breakthroughs in material science.<\/p>\n
Engineering thermoplastics continue to achieve market advances, including the prevalence of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and other new materials that were formerly feasible only in very high-end cars. The automotive plastics industry is not sitting still, as it recognizes there are additional opportunities via newer materials that can further decrease weight, improve vehicle styling and performance, and comply with environmental regulations.<\/p>\n
In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that \u201cautomakers are off to a good start\u201d with CAFE requirements that need to be satisfied by 2025. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that auto manufacturers will average fleets of 34 miles per gallon in 2014. This number, while impressive, is still far from the 54.5 mpg automakers must achieve according to CAFE standards.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow\u2019s engineering plastics will need to be even stronger, more lightweight, and able to withstand higher temperatures. Grand View Research\u2019s senior research analyst, Anshuman Bahuguna, told ThomasNet News that the materials used in previous generations of cars simply can\u2019t stand the heat today.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuper-engineered thermoplastics such as PEEK (polyether ether ketone), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizates)\/TPO [thermoplastic olefins) will have a role to play, since they have been shown to offer consistent performance in more extreme operating conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bioplastics are also on the auto industry\u2019s materials navigation map. DuPont Performance Polymers introduced the first engineering-grade biopolymers in 2006, and the company says it plans to expand its portfolio of sustainable, bio-based materials where it is technically feasible and economically sustainable.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s Sorona EP product contains between 20 and 37 percent renewable material while offering performance similar to conventional polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). Its Hytrel RS thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) contain between 35 and 65 percent renewably sourced material while providing strength, toughness, and flexibility to hoses and tubes. Much of the renewable content in these material lines is sourced from sebacic acid, a non-food biomass that is made from castor oil.<\/p>\n
While the renewable nature of bioplastics may be appealing, the materials may not always lead directly to the goal of weight reduction in vehicles. Some bioplastics actually have higher material densities than traditional petroleum-based plastics, as demonstrated by seat foams and upholstery made from soy-based materials that are beginning to show up in some European vehicles. For this reason, many automakers looking for sustainable alternatives to traditional plastics are embracing natural-fiber-reinforced plastics, which offer a 5 to 15 percent weight reduction.<\/p>\n
According to Earl Bloom, vice president of Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Continental Structural Plastics, advances in joining techniques as well as in materials are allowing metal and non-metal materials to be used alongside one another in places that were inconceivable before. This permits automakers to mix and match ideal components while streamlining production.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdvanced composite materials like TCA (Tough Class A) sheet molding compound can often be painted alongside metal parts at the vehicle assembly plants, which is ideal for the overall vehicle production process,\u201d Bloom told ThomasNet Newss.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s more to automotive bioplastics than weight and sustainable raw materials, however. The \u201cnew car smell,\u201d while desirable to consumers, is the result of volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde escaping from newly produced plastics. In response to the health risks these VOCs pose, some manufacturers are pursuing less toxic materials, and that road has often led to bioplastics.<\/p>\n
That, combined with national and regional fuel-efficiency and sustainability standards across markets around the world that will become more stringent and more highly enforced, will make green materials solutions more commonplace in auto production.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the future, more and more green solutions will need to be incorporated into new cars. Recycled, upcycled, and bio-based plastics will become more and more mandatory,\u201d Peter Tackx, director of sales and business development for Netherlands-based Polyscope Polymers, told ThomasNet News. These mandates will likely also lead to larger applications for new converting techniques such as plastics foaming and 3D printing, he adds.<\/p>\n
In foaming, Polyscope is developing a new technique that involves expanded polystyrene (EPS) in combination with a styrene maleic anhydride-based (SMA) polymer carrier to act as a natural blowing agent. Tackx says the technique is still under development, but the first results have been promising. These methods will contribute further weight reduction and offer automakers new design freedom.<\/p>\n
\u201cStructures especially designed for replacing metal will increase the use of plastics overall,\u201d Tackx noted. \u201cThere are lots of opportunities still wide open, from glazing to body panels, from seat structures to fiber-reinforced shafts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nanotechnology is also likely to play a role in the automotive engineering plastics market as well, the American Chemistry Council\u2019s Steve Russell tells ThomasNet News.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s already being used in some coatings, and there is experimentation going on with color bonding for glazing and reflective mirror surfaces,\u201d he said. The nanotech coatings can actually erase damage done to a car\u2019s surfaces through time, temperature, and UV exposure and make surfaces impervious to scratches.<\/p>\n
The flow behavior of certain injection molding plastics can also be improved via nanotechnology, which leads to more efficient processes and higher quality components. There are also thermoplastic nanotubes on the horizon; these are nanocomposites between 50 and 150 nanometers thick that can be used to conduct electricity with the same capacity as copper while at the same time providing greater bending flexibility than copper wiring.<\/p>\n
All of these technological developments may benefit the wider plastics industry and not just the automotive field. Grand View Research\u2019s Bahuguna noted that as more part applications turn to plastics, growth opportunities will become exponential for manufacturers working in other markets.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis diversification of automotive plastics will provide a new source of revenue for automotive [suppliers], and the market could expand further into other manufacturing disciplines,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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