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New energy vehicles are popular, and plastic vehicles usher in the era of lightweight
According to the Technology Roadmap for energy conservation and new energy Vehicles, the weight of a single vehicle should be reduced by 10 percent, 20 percent and 35 percent in 2020, 2025 and 2030 compared with 2015, respectively.The big push, so that many enterprises feel pressure, especially on behalf of "clean energy" new energy vehicles, is bound to play a leading role.
The advantages of automotive plastics need not be described, but it must be realized that consumers still have a psychological resistance to the safety of the use of automotive plastics.For example, companies such as Nissan and Volvo rarely advertise the use of plastic rear doors.
In addition, the epidemic has made consumers more concerned about the health and safety of vehicles.According to the weight division of different interior parts, the parts that contribute the most to the xylene content in the air inside the car are the upper cover plate of the instrument panel with surface spraying, followed by the column guard plate and the foot mat. It is imperative to reduce the VOC of plastic parts.
The Volvo XC60's plastic tail door is made of thermosetting SMC material
The use of automotive plastics needs to balance the safety of the car
Driven by the dual factors of energy saving and environmental protection, China's automobile manufacturing industry has basically realized plastic in the field of interior decoration.On the new development route, the mainstream idea of automobile lightweight is to further plasticizing the outer cover, such as the rare plastic engine cover, plastic front fenders and other existing trends.
Geely Zhidou D2 new energy electric vehicle plastic front fender
Combining lightweight and safety requirements, plastic bonnet is an excellent new development area.This is because of the pedestrian protection requirements, plastic bonnet can effectively reduce head injuries.In the face of a collision with greater energy, the use of plastic bonnet can also effectively alleviate the overall backshift of the bonnet, smash the front windshield and cause occupant injury in the car.
To solve this problem, the metal engine cover used in the inner plate bending channel design, stamping process is complex, high cost.Today, plastic engine cover has been used in some new energy vehicles in a small range.
Lightweight and safety are a game between each other. Therefore, the occupant area located in the middle is cautious in the use of lightweight. From the existing attempts, it is not very ideal.
For example, in the case of multiple shaft breaks on the Ideal ONE, there is no evidence that the material is directly related to the lower arm, but the ball pins placed on the structure are clearly subject to replacement.
However, according to the need of lightweight development, the passenger area in the middle must make some contribution after the plastics of the front and back collapse and shrinkage energy absorption areas.Based on the latest technology demonstrations, battery packs will be hot in the future.
For example, The Durethan BKV45FN04, developed by Lanxess, is a fiberglass reinforced material with 45% weight and is resistant to trace at high voltages, suitable for components such as battery frames, end plates and high-voltage connectors.
It should be noted that nowadays, spontaneous combustion of electric vehicles occurs frequently, and fire prevention requirements are prominent. Among them, products with flame retardant characteristics will play a big role in the field of new energy.In addition to Durethan BKV45FN04, fire-retardant products such as BasF's Ultramid are also doing well.Including C3U, A2X2G5, A3X2G5, A3X2G7, A3X2G10, B3UG4 and KR4365G5, can be applied to electrical components requiring high fire safety and electrical resistance.
Environmentally friendly plastics reduce VOC
In meeting the collision, fire prevention these "hard safety", "soft safety" is equally important.The commonly used automotive interior plastics are ABS, PC, PP, PVC, PU, POM and so on. In order to reduce the influence of these conventional plastics on automobile VOC, they are often controlled at the production source of plastics. The improved methods include process adjustment, selection of additives, solvent and monomer control, etc.
In addition, according to the latest development, the use of the following materials will have a greater prospect.
The picture
Spray free plastic
The most eye-catching example of the application of non-spraying materials in automobiles is Smart.The exterior panels are heavily Sabic Xenoy PC/PBT resin panels and use a spray free process.The features of rich color and high surface gloss of non-spraying materials are fully displayed on this car.
Spray free materials have a wide range of applications, and can be used on internal and external ornaments.At present, spray free plastic technology is not very mature, from the perspective of environmental protection is a very forward-looking technical field.
There are not many domestic companies with this technology, such as Preite, Wuxing technology, blonde hair, etc.For example, golden Hair's metallic paint and pearlescent effect spray free materials can be applied to bumper underguards, skirts, erasers, wheel eyebrows, trim bars and inner door handles.
Bio-based plastics
Bioplastics are plastics made by microorganisms based on natural substances such as starch, which are recyclable and therefore environmentally friendly.
In 2017, the Bioautomotive team at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands unveiled Lina, a biodegradable vehicle that uses a biobased composite material made from flax and sugar beets, in addition to the wheels and suspension system. Lina's main features are biodegradable and lightweight.
Currently, biodegradable plastics widely used in the automotive industry include polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyfatty acid polymer (PHAs), polybutanediol succinate (PBS), etc. For example, PLA can be used to make air intake gratings, PHAs can be used to make car floor MATS, and modified PBS can be used to make door interior trim.
According to a report provided by ResearchAndMarkets.com entitled "Global Market for Bioplastics and biopolymers by 2021".Despite growing global awareness, bioplastics currently account for only about 1 percent of the 365 million tons of plastic produced each year (though they are growing at 30 percent annually), and there is plenty of scope for biobased plastics.
The application of some plastics in automobile field
Polypropylene (pp)
Now in a typical passenger car, PP plastic parts account for more than 60.Pp auto parts main varieties: bumper, battery shell, instrument panel, door interior panel, steering wheel and so on.
Polyethylene (PE)
A series of modified PE alloy materials with flexibility, weather resistance and coating properties were obtained by grafting modification and filling toughening modification of high density PE and low density PE resin.PE material mainly adopts blow molding method to produce fuel tank, ventilation pipe, guide plate and all kinds of storage tanks.
Abs resin
Abs resin is a terpolymer of acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene three monomers, which can be used to make external or internal parts of cars such as instrument housing, refrigeration and heating system, toolbox, armrest, radiator grid plate and instrument panel skin, suitcase, glove box lid, etc.
Polyamide (pa)
Commonly known as nylon, it has high impact strength, friction and wear resistance, heat resistance, chemical resistance, lubrication and dyeing.Pa can be used in harsh environments around automotive engines.
Polyoxymethylene (pom)
With excellent friction and wear resistance, long-term sliding characteristics, forming fluidity and surface beautiful, gloss characteristics, also suitable for embedded molding.Three - layer composite materials of pom are widely used in automobile chassis bushing.
Total knot
The IGS market report estimates that the total amount of plastic used per vehicle will reach 350kg in 2020, compared to around 200kg in 2014.Under the trend of automobile energy conservation and emission reduction, the use of automotive plastics will be further expanded.
But there is no denying that there are still a lot of problems to be solved in terms of safety and environmental protection.The push from the top to the bottom is in the current stage of resistance, consumer-centered RESEARCH and development thinking is extremely important.This warns, vehicle plastic into a new era, material innovation needs to control "safety + environmental protection" two important principles.
