LANXESS develops Front-end fully made with polyamide and ensures innovation to the automotive sector

LANXESS, the German multinational  leader in the specialty chemicals sector, through its business unit HPM (High Performance Materials – global manufacturer of Polyamide 6 and 66 – brand Durethan and PBT – brand Pocan, brings innovation to the automotive industry. The front-end of the passenger vehicle can now be produced exclusively out of plastic, as it is shown by the new Skoda Octavia, in the image.


As can be observed in the image, the front-end is made by Durethan BKV 60 H2.0 EF, a highly reinforced polyamide 6 with 60% glass fiber. The special feature of this structural component is the fact that it does not contain any sheet-metal reinforcements. This holds true even for front-end to-cross member, which includes the hood lock extending all the way to the front-end carrier.


To Boris Koch, LANXESS' structural components expert, this achievement was only attained thanks to the development of an extremely stiff, resistant and high technology polyamide, which enables the front-end to have a complex design and thin walls. The lightweight component was designed by the company Faurecia Kunststoffe Automobilsysteme GmbH, Ingolstadt, Germany, a LANXESS' partner in the project.


Simple and cost-effective production process

Faurecia's purpose was to simplify the front-end production process. "We wanted to design a part that was fully made of plastic, so that we could work with only one injection mold and eliminate the complicated handling of the plate". Points out Pascal Joly-Pottuz, head of front-end component development at Faurecia.


The biggest challenge was to meet the requirements of the radiator bearing and hood lock regions, which are subject to very strong force. "The significantly higher rigidity of material highly reinforced with 60% of glass fiber, compared to standard polyamides with only 30 or 40% glass fiber reinforcement, ensures that the component is strong enough to withstand the high stresses.” Explains Pascal Joly-Pottuz. For instance, under working conditions, the PA6-GF60 has an elasticity module at room temperature of 13,100 MPa (ISO 527-1, -2).


A particularly challenging feature was the design of the top-cross member at the transition to the fender carriers. Little room is available at this section, which includes the mounts for the headlamps and hood bumpers, making it necessary to achieve a very thin, but extremely strong design. "Thanks to the high rigidity and the strength of our material, the fenders for the headlamps and bumpers also meet all the requirements". Koch points out.


Thinner walls, low component weight

Although the polyamide has a much greater density due to its glass fiber content, the component is very lightweight. "Compared to a virtual front-end we designed from a polyamide 6 with 30 percent glass fibers, Skoda's front-end is about 1,2 kg lighter, that is, its structure has 25% less weight.” Koch points out.


These results are due to better mechanical properties, as well as the optimal flow behavior of the material, which enables to have very thin walls.  In fact, the wall thickness in areas subject to lower stresses could be reduced to just 1,8 millimeters.


High quality surface

Besides the mounts for the headlamps, the front-end also integrates injection-molded mounts for the radiator, hood lock, anti-theft system and air ducts.  Furthermore, the component is provided directly with a decorative cover, meaning that this part does not need to be assembled separately. "Despite the high glass fiber content, we were able to give the cover a fine texture to make it fit in well with the overall visual appearance". Koch points out.


HiAnt – Comprehensive customer service – support in Brazil included

LANXESS provided its partner with numerous HiAnt services in developing the front-end carrier, including, for example, help with the structural design, mechanical calculations and rheological analyses to minimize warpage and shrinkage and mold filling analysis. LANXESS experts further provided advice for selecting the gating system and injection points, optimization of wall thicknesses, and assisted with launching full-scale production.


Outlook - More structural components made exclusively by polyamide    

In view of the good experience with the front-end carrier on the Octavia, LANXESS is certain that other automotive structural components likewise can also be designed as totally polyamide parts. “We currently envision mounts for the battery or for other electronic components in electric and hybrid vehicles.” Koch points out.


About LANXESS

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.0 billion in 2014 and about 16,300 employees in 29 countries. The company is currently represented at 52 production sites worldwide. LANXESS' core business is the development, production and sale of plastics, rubber, specialty chemicals and intermediates.


LANXESS is a member of the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World) and FTSE4Good.


In Brazil, LANXESS is represented through its 10 business units, has approximately 1,000 employees, five production facilities, laboratories and offices, distributed by the cities of São Paulo and Porto Feliz (SP), São Leopoldo and Triunfo (RS) Duque de Caxias (RJ) and Cabo de Santo Agostinho (PE).