Tepex continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites were developed and manufactured by LANXESS subsidiary Bond-Laminates in Brilon, Germany and are used in underbody fenders, seat backs, modular brackets, battery holders, front end assemblies, brake pedals and Bumper beams and so on.
As a partially reinforced insert for injection molded parts, Tepex has been successfully used in SUVs front-end brackets.
In the case of locally reinforced injection-molded parts, the commonly used metal inserts are only interlocked with the injection-molded material, which provides a material bond that effectively increases the mechanical strength of the part, and Most importantly, the Tepex is also very lightweight, making it particularly prominent in the front-end applications of Volkswagen's Atlas and Teramont SUVs, which are made in the United States and China respectively.
'Both cars use Tepex inserts on the front end, reducing their weight by approximately 50% over the corresponding inserts made of sheet metal, and the strengthened areas are also able to withstand even higher strains.' 'LANXESS Tepex Harri Dittmar, application development manager for materials, said.
The front-end of Atlas cars, manufactured by Arkal Automotive, a Kidmat Galil industrial park in Galilee, Israel, is a specialist in providing high-tech thermoplastic solutions for lightweight automotive design in partnership with Volkswagen to develop Atlas And Teramont's two front ends.The Teramont's front end is manufactured by Changchun Yingli Automotive Industry Co., Ltd. in Changchun, Jilin Province, China.
The front ends of both SUVs are made of injection-grade polypropylene (PP). Around the hood lock, a 1mm thick Tepex dynalite 104-RG600 sheet is used to reinforce the semi-finished composite consisting of polypropylene, 47 % By volume of continuous glass fiber roving and fabric The 'Z' columns on both sides of the front end are also reinforced with the same composite formed insert.
This injection molding process with three inserts is very efficient: the two side inserts are first heated and shaped out of the mold, then reheated to 140 ° C and placed into the mold from the side, while heating The intermediate insert is then brought into overmoulding together with the two outer inserts, thereby achieving efficient production with short cycle times.
Tepex's extremely high reproducibility makes it extremely easy to locate and reshape in-mold. In addition, drilling of the composite also demonstrates the necessary structural integrity of the fabric, both of which indicate that, Advances have been made in the use of front-end reinforced applications in the development of unidirectional fiber-oriented thermoplastic composites.
Tepex also has many potential applications for the localized reinforcement of injection molded parts such as center console, center armrests and rear brackets, as well as door trim and its supports.
In the light-weight automotive design, LANXESS's Tepex Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites have been increasingly used successfully, so the company set up a separate project team to assist in the development of Tepex components throughout Until it begins mass production) to support partners worldwide.
The front end of both Atlas and Teramont SUVs is reinforced locally with Tepex continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites