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(Plastics Today) -- Thermoplastic
elastomer (TPO) nanocomposites developed by Korea's Honam Petrochemical Corp.
(Seoul) have delivered a 25% weight saving versus 40% talc-filled polypropylene
through thinwalling and lower density in a side sill molding used in a Hyundai
vehicle.
Weight was reduced from 4.6 kg to 3.4 kg per car according to Se Hoon
Kim, Senior Research Engineer at the company's Daedok Research Institute. Use in
B pillar trim, meanwhile, reduced mass by 30%. The nanocomposite compounds
employed use Honam's Adpoly maleic anhydride-grafted polyolefin as a coupling
agent. For these compounds to make further market penetration, Kim notes that
technical issues such as suitability for non-painted exterior parts and the odor
of interior parts need to be addressed, while pricing is also currently an
issue.
Furthermore, Honam entered the long glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic
(LFRT) market three years ago with its Supran product, available in base
polymers polypropylene, polyamide and polycarbonate. These products are
manufactured using a special melt impregnation process and come in 8-12-mm fiber
loadings of 20-50%.
One of the first application successes for Supran was Korea's first
integrated plastic door module, molded in a 31-second cycle and achieving a 30%
weight saving over its metal predecessor and a 20% reduction in part number.
mrcplast.com
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