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Automotive OEMs have been seeking
to save painting costs by using PP interior compounds
with improved scratch resistance for quite some
time. New blends with nano clay at 5% level could
provide a viable answer. A recently developed
PP/PS blend- Elan XP 515 compound, is expected
to substitute painted ABS in automotive interior
applications due to its superior scratch resistance.
The first mass-produced part to use the new Elan
XP 515 compound is a foot well heater vent for
various Volkswagen and Audi models. Both the companies
are developing car seating trim applications and
are expected to commercialize by mid-2005.
The compound uses 5% of a Süd-Chemie Nanofil
SE 3000 modified nanoclay additive to aid dispersion
of 15%-25% of the PS into the PP. It has a uniformly
matte surface and high scratch resistance. The
mass coloured compound offers cost savings over
painted ABS parts in volume production. Putsch
offers three ready-coloured, UV and heat stabilized
PP/PS blend grades that can be injection moulded
with processing parameters similar to those for
unfilled or mineral-filled PP.
(Developed by well-known nanoclay producer Süd-Chemie
along with German compounder Putsch Kunststoffe)
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