Automotive
Automotive Outlook: Steady Improvement in 2013
One of the true bright spots in the economy over the past 24 months has been the automotive industry. Our forecast for 2013 calls for another solid increase of 6% to 8%.
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PP Compounds Used in First Thermoplastic Lift Gate in New Renault Clio
WEB EXCLUSIVE: The new Renault Clio sports what’s said to be the first all-thermoplastic, mono-material lift gate on a commercial vehicle.
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Nylon Replaces Metal in Auto Transmission Oil Pan
WEB EXCLUSIVE: A 60% glass-reinforced nylon 6 from Lanxess LLC, Pittsburgh, has replaced steel sheet in the extremely flat, yet very stiff S tronic transmission oil pan on the new Audi R8.
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The New Lightweights: Injection Molded 'Hybrid' Composites Spur Auto Innovation
A thermoplastic composite technology that emerged just a couple of years ago promises to make dramatic strides within the next two years in automotive mass production of structural components.
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Laser-Transparent PBT in Novel Air-Flap Control Unit
WEB EXCLUSIVE: A 20% glass-reinforced grade of Ultradur LUX laser-transparent PBT resin from BASF is being used for the housing cover of a novel air-flap control actuator developed jointly by Germany’s Tier 1 supplier Rochling Automotive and motor developer Precision Motors Duetche Minebea.
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Noryl GTX in India’s First Injection Molded Plastic Fenders
WEB EXCLUSIVE: India’s first injection-molded plastic fenders are featured on the new global XUV500 SUV from Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M). They are made of Noryl GTX, a PPE/nylon blend from SABIC Innovative Plastics, Pittsfield, Mass.
Read MoreExpansions in TP Composite Materials
Polystrand, Inc., Englewood, Colo., is starting up a new and larger production facility for continuous-fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites in Montrose, Colo.
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Low-Emission Acetal Meets Daimler’s Strict New Limits for Vehicle Interiors
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Germany’s Ticona Engineering Polymers is offering new-generation, low-emission, Hostaform acetals which meet Daimler’s new, stricter limits for formaldehyde emissions of acetal vehicle-interior components.
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Automotive Molders Add Big Multi-Material Presses
Two companies of the Automotive Components Div. of The Windsor Mold Group, Windsor, Ont., recently commissioned several 2200-ton multi-component injection machines from Engel Machinery Inc., York, Pa.
Read MoreLanxess Expanding Nylon Production & Compounding
Lanxess AG (U.S. office in Pittsburgh) plans to build a new world-scale nylon plastics plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
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