Ticona Plastics Help Audi and VW Open New Design Dimension

Audi and VW instrument panels sport a stylish appearance of newly designed dashboards with innovative reinforced plastics from Ticona Engineering Polymers.

The Volkswagen Group relies on reinforced plastics Celstran* LFRT from Ticona, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corporation, to ensure car buyers notice the stylish appearance of the newly designed dashboards found in the Audi A 5 Coupe, VW Golf and EOS.

This long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (LFRT), with its balanced material properties, meets the needs of both the car buyer, who values an attractive appearance with clear instrument layout, and the automotive manufacturer and its suppliers, which need easy processing and efficient production with plastics.

Celstran LFRT offers easy processing with accurate design detail thanks to its plastics matrix composition, in which polypropylene, PP copolymer or PP blends are used, and the ability to adjust its levels of long-glass-fiber reinforcement to suit component requirements within a certain range.

For system suppliers Faurecia and Cadence Innovation, an instrument panel’s strength and impact resistance are key criteria. In producing this large component for the Volkswagen Group, the engineering polymer had to offer the best possible flow properties, despite the reinforcing fibers, so the complicated plastics molds could be filled to the outermost corners within a reasonable cycle time. During this process, the fibers had to distribute uniformly so the stability of the instrument panel support could be retained, even in one with a complex geometry.

Celstran LFRT also helped ensure that these suppliers could reduce production costs by allowing them to readily integrate the ventilation ducts or nozzles, which were made with a lower fiber content than possible in a foamed dashboard support.

Another crucial factor for Faurecia and Cadence Innovation was the smooth surface of the instrument panel, which was achieved with Celstran LFRT. The homogeneous glass fiber distribution in the polymer matrix allows a fine polyurethane (PU) foam to be applied, creating a pleasant “soft-touch” effect. Finally, a slush skin, usually of plastics such as PVC, is applied onto the foam surface to give the dashboard its special visual appeal.

The good mechanical properties and light weight of Celstran LFRT have impressed vehicle manufacturers and buyers alike. Celstran is used in instrument panels for the Audi A 5 Coupe, VW Golf and EOS, as well as other structural parts, such as body panels on the Volvo or large air duct components in MAN trucks. For visible reinforced plastics components, in particular, Celstran opens a new design dimension.

* All registered trademarks are owned by Ticona or its affiliates.
Golf is a trademark of Volkswagen, AG. A5 is a trademark of Audi, AG. MAN is a trademark of MAN ERF UK Ltd.

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