
11 Jun 2004
Rhodia Engineering Plastics’ New TECHNYL® ALLOY PA/ABS Now Used for Center Instrument Panel Fascia on GM-Daewoo Kalos Sedan
New Family of PA/ABS Alloys Combines Excellent Impact Strength, Aesthetics and Processability at Lower Weight and Cost
Brussels, June 8 2004 – Rhodia’s recently introduced TECHNYL® ALLOY PA/ABS is currently being used for interior automotive applications, where its robust property profile, combined with ease of processability makes it an attractive alternative vs. traditional Polycarbonate (PC), PC/ABS and PC/PBT material alternatives. TECHNYL® ALLOY is currently used as the material for a high performance center instrument panel fascia for GM/DAEWOO new Kalos Sedan, which is now in production in South Korea.
GM-Daewoo engineers selected TECHNYL® ALLOY KC 246 (a PA6/ABS, standard high impact grade) over PC/ABS for this application because TECHNYL® ALLOY offered:
• Energy Management Properties – With Head Impact of Prime Importance
• Excellent Dimensional Stability
• Good Surface Aspect
• Paintability
• Excellent Chemical Resistance
The GM-Daewoo materials engineer on the application, Mr. Kang, commented, "When I was first introduced to TECHNYL® ALLOY, I did not believe all of information from the Rhodia account manager. However, when I used this material for an instrument panel study project, I realized that TECHNYL® ALLOY was an attractive material for automotive interior parts. We could see TECHNYL® ALLOY would be a successful alternative for center fascia or cluster housing applications against PC or PC/ABS.
“TECHNYL® ALLOY was my first choice for the center fascia of the Kalos. During the development of the center fascia of the Kalos, TECHNYL® ALLOY achieved many good test results in areas such as head impact, thermal cycle, paintability, moldability, and others.
In production, GM’s molder found that TECHNYL® ALLOY was easy to process. In fact, the excellent flow characteristics of the material allowed for a molding temperature reduction of 15º C, along with a 20% reduction in injection pressure. The material’s low specific gravity also allowed for a 6% weight reduction in the molded part.
“I still need to study more about TECHNYL® ALLOY,” said Kang. “However, I'm sure that due to several strong points like excellent chemical resistance, its property balance of stiffness vs. impact strength along with low density, this product will be my first consideration for our next project. I'm very proud of applying TECHNYL® ALLOY to the Kalos center fascia," he added.
“The introduction of TECHNYL® ALLOY demonstrates Rhodia Engineering Plastics' commitment to develop leading-edge technologies and products to broaden the range of materials solutions,” said Jean Claude Steinmetz, president, Rhodia Engineering Plastics. “This follows the successful launch of Technyl Star™, a new-generation polyamide with extremely high flow, excellent surface aspect, and superb mechanical properties.”
Other target automotive applications include instrument panels, center fascias, air-vent and defroster grilles, and door assemblies; motorcycle fairings; and scooter exteriors. Other potential applications include consumer goods such as sporting goods and leisure parts; furniture and toys; as well as household appliances.
In fact, TECHNYL® ALLOY offers an exceptional new balance of stiffness vs. impact strength, high aesthetics, lower specific gravity, better processing, and opportunities for systems cost reductions vs. competitive materials.
TECHNYL® ALLOY features a lower specific gravity, which translates into lower weight parts and clear economic benefits vs. competing products. For example, TECHNYL® ALLOY KC 246, the impact-modified grade used on the Kalos sedan, shows a 6% lower density than competitive PC/ABS grades, is 10 percent less dense than competitive PC grades, and offers 14 percent lower density than competitive PC/PBT grades.
The new alloys also provide higher heat resistance (up to 200°C) than competing materials and greater design flexibility. Because TECHNYL® ALLOY polymers are more ductile than PC and PC/PBT alloys, the new material is better suited for designing applications like automotive inner door panels for side impact safety. The new alloys also exhibit superior noise damping properties.
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Notes for editors
Rhodia Engineering Plastics
Rhodia Engineering Plastics, headquartered in Lyon, France, is the world wide specialist in polyamide engineering thermoplastic materials. The company has a sales network that spans the world, with manufacturing plants and technical development centres in Europe, North America, South America and Asia. For further details about the Company, visit Rhodia Engineering Plastics’ website at: www.rhodia-ep.com
Rhodia
Rhodia is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty chemicals. Providing a wide range of innovative products and services to the consumer care, food, industrial care, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, automotive, electronics and fibers markets, Rhodia offers its customers tailor-made solutions based on the cross-fertilization of technologies, people and expertise. Rhodia subscribes to the principles of Sustainable Development communicating its commitments and performance openly with stakeholders. Rhodia generated net sales of €5.5 billion in 2003 and employs 23,000 people worldwide. Rhodia is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges. For further details about the Group, visit Rhodia’s website at: www.rhodia.com
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Christine Bourguignon
Rhodia Engineering Plastics
christine.bourguignon@eu.rhodia.com
Alan Flower
EMG