| Self Reinforced Plastic (SRP) products, although at a nascent stage of development, promise to have a potential application in automotive industry, mainly because it could help in weight reduction. The automotive industry aims to reduce the weight of a medium sized car from the existing 1400 kgs to about 1150 kgs, by 2010, thus providing an impetus to the development of SRP. SRPs can help in making lighter and smaller cars that save on fuel.
SRP combines the versatility and easy recyclability of a thermoplastic with the high performance of a fiber reinforced composite. Its' low weight, high stiffness and impact resistance are proving suitable for a wide range of semi-structural and structural automotive applications. The automotive industry is a huge and growing market for plastic and composite materials, and gives SRP suppliers the best opportunity to gain critical volumes of business at an early stage. Roof liners made from SRP products with a fabric covering and a number of under-body parts are other potentially lucrative application areas. Polypropylene has taken the lead in SRP development. The well known PP product of CURV from BP is one of the examples
However, gaining a stronghold in the automotive market will not be easy, especially in high volume automotive markets, where standards are extremely stringent and price pressure high. While automotive is the most apt application of SRP there are other applications that can benefit from their properties. For manufacturers who consider automotive applications a far too costly and a demanding sector to penetrate, it may be advisable to identify more profitable niche markets where SRP product benefits hold more value, and therefore automatically command a premium price. |
