Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP)
Ticona Introduces New Celstran® PP LFRT with Superior Properties for Automotive Interior Applications
Florence, Ky., Kelsterbach, Germany, Sept. 9, 2009 - Ticona Engineering Polymers today announced the availability of new grades of Celstran®+ PP long fiber reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT) designed to outperform SMA resins and PC/ABS blends that are commonly used by North American OEMs to mold automotive instrument panels, air duct panels and reinforcement components.
Ticona is showcasing its portfolio of Celstran LFRT grades at the Society of Plastics Engineers' (SPE) Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) at Michigan StateUniversity's Management Education Center in Troy, Mich., Sept. 15-16.
"Celstran+ PP GF20, GF30 and GF40 are customized engineering thermoplastics with long glass fibers chemically coupled to a base polypropylene (PP) resin, offer an exceptionally well balanced property profile, making them superior and ideal alternatives to SMA and PC/ABS blends," said Hansel Ramathal, product marketing - Celstran LFRT.
First developed by Ticona for use by several European OEMs in automotive and truck instrument panels, Celstran+ PP GF20, GF30 and GF40 offer excellent processing properties that ensure uniform glass fiber distribution and a good surface finish. It is designed to compete with styrenemaleic anhydride (SMA) resins and polycarbonate (PC)/ acrylonitrilebutadiene styrene (ABS) blends.
"Comparison tests demonstrate that Celstran+ PP can outperform SMA and PC/ABS blends across the board - heat aging, weight, part integration, foam adhesion, mechanical properties, injection molding processes and handling," Ramathal said. "Thanks to a well balanced property profile, these new Celstran+ LFRT grades from Ticona offer our automotive OEM customers optimal part integration and cost reduction opportunities at a good cost position."
Available now in North America, these Celstran+ LFRT grades from Ticona offer automotive OEMs several advantages:
o Weight and cost savings - less weight at equal wall thickness
o Optimal mechanical properties - best crash characteristics in -35 degrees Celsius
o Improved creep resistance - resists compression and deformation from skin/cover shrinkage
o Improved impact performance - reduces breakage during shipping, handling and assembly
o Improved notched impact strength - better load transfer and predictable performance in cold temperature air bag deployment
o Superior tensile strength - higher tensile strength and elongation resulting in ductile behavior
o Greater load bearing capacity - ability to integrate more metal brackets and reinforcements into substrate or eliminate entirely
o Increased sound dampening properties - improved comfort in auto interiors due to removal of sound
o Low carbon emission - customized formulation to meet auto interior standards
Celstran®+ PP LFRT For Interiors - Volkswagen AG of Wolfsburg, Germany, is using Celstran+ PP LFRT from Ticona to mold the instrument panels found in the latest version of its Scirocco model. Now available in North America, Celstran+ PP LFRT offers an exceptionally well balanced property profile and is an ideal alternative to SMA and PC/ABS blends. Photo Source: Volkswagen AG
Unlike conventional methods for producing long fiber reinforced thermoplastics, Ticona uses a pultrusion process to achieve very even fiber coating with the base polymer and uniform fiber distributor in the matrix. This not only gives the engineering thermoplastic better stability, but also increases production reliability and reduces the cost of cleaning the production units, since less abrasion occurs and less dust is generated.
The plastic matrix in Celstran LFRT can be formulated with different polymer feedstocks, from polypropylene and nylon to polyurethane. The combination of mechanical properties, impact and creep resistance, and low warpage imparted by these LFRT products makes them ideal candidates for automotive components, such as instrument panels, door modules, interior trim, center consoles, front end modules or other applications that require large, strong, light weight components or assemblies.
About Ticona and Celanese
Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, produces and markets abroad range of high performance products, and posted net sales of $1.06 billion in fiscal 2008. Ticona employs approximately 2,000 individuals at production, compounding and research facilities in the USA, Germany, Brazil and China. For more information, please visit www.ticona.com or www.ticona.cn (Chinese language).
As a global leader in the chemicals industry, Celanese Corporation makes products essential to everyday living. Our products, found in consumer and industrial applications, are manufactured in North America, Europe and Asia. Net sales totaled $6.8 billion in 2008, with approximately 65% generated outside of North America. Known for operational excellence and execution of its business strategies, Celanese delivers value to customers around the globe with innovations and best-in-class technologies. Based in Dallas, Texas, the company employs approximately 8,350 employees worldwide. For more information on Celanese Corporation, please visit the company's website at www.celanese.com.
