Panoramic roofs are in unprecedented demand in all markets, following the trend of a more user-friendly cabin, open to the external world. But pano roofs needs heavy mechanical systems to open and close, and for shades to block out the hot sun. These heavy systems are far from the car’s center of gravity. At the same time, there’s increasingly urgent need to reduce the weight of all automotive components to minimize CO2 emissions. This calls for lightweighting. Grupo Antolin, in partnership with German chemical company BASF, have developed new technical plastic parts to respond to these conflicting needs.
The new Ultradur® material family is ideal for use in plastic frames of solar and panorama headliners. Antolin have made a clever novel design for these frames, including technical details that reduce the mass by up to 60 per cent compared to other traditional solutions on the market.
One of the main advantages of the design of the new plastic parts is the change in the process of attaching the frame to the headliner that allows to eliminate additional process steps, to improve tolerances assembly and, ultimately, improve perceived quality of the final part. In addition, this new process is completely sustainable by not involving solvents or generating emissions.
PBT-ASA-PET, a polyester material, is reinforced with fiberglass and modified with an Acrylonitrile and Styrene copolymer. The result is a rigid material with low shrinkage, high dimensional stability, and good resistance to high and low temperatures. These characteristics make for excellent compliance with tolerances, especially in processes where the frame is stuck to the headliner in the mold at the same time the part is formed.
Ultradur®, BASF’s very easy-flowing PBT, allows injection of large parts having excellent dimensional stability, and low warpage at short cycle times. Because of its high-speed property, Ultradur® S 4090 G6 HSP (PBT/ASA blend with 30 per cent glass fibers) offers the possibility to design thin walled large structural components such as roof frames. Following the predevelopment work done with a German customer, the first pilot with this material was launched for a best-seller vehicle with outstanding results. More programs have been marketed with this solution for several automakers.
