Many people are talking about self-driving cars, especially larger displays and touch screens. What can Covestro support them?
Due to the trend of autopilot, the interior of the car is evolving into a multi-functional living space with 'on-demand' functionality. As part of this, due to digitization and the development of networks, the number and size of automotive interior displays and touch screens are expected to increase.
This trend provides Covestro with great opportunities for the use of polycarbonate resins and films. For example, they can have a large area of 3D screen design that can be seamlessly linked to instrument panels, center consoles, door and seat panels.
In addition, polycarbonate resin can also be used in the car's novel environment and dynamic lighting elements, such as light guides.
What new and possible automotive applications will use polymers?
Many of the features of future cars are derived from the electronic and electronic applications of polymers such as polycarbonate, whether it is electric drive or battery technology, sensor technology, connectivity, or artificial intelligence. For example, in recent years, the development of polycarbonate has led to the appearance of body parts. Improvements.
At K 2016, a new car concept car from Covestro also revealed new design possibilities. The use of transparent polycarbonate for the body part has the same effect as the black panel.
In addition, these parts can also contain color patterns, 3D effects or backlight structure, benefit from glass-like transparent polycarbonate.
How do you see the future application of engineering plastics in automobiles?
Based on the long-term experience and outstanding performance of Covestro in polycarbonate, this engineering plastic is similar to glass in nature and can be used as a key material in new automobiles.
One example is the integration of seamless glass and glass parts of injection molded parts. Using polycarbonate, combined with design freedom, features safety for passengers and other road users.
Another trend will be to install displays on the outside of the car for human-vehicle communication. This may contain safety-related information, as well as expressions of driver emotions, or just advertising in shared vehicles. The surface of such a display must be transparent, Resistant to impact and scratch-resistant materials such as coated polycarbonate.
The penetration rate of automotive polycarbonate glass has been slow and limited. Laminated glass is now lighter and more formable. Chemically toughened glass has also made further progress. So, is the demand for polymer glass gone?
The aforementioned new opportunities on glass are not easy to implement, and they have to demonstrate their cost-effectiveness for mass production of cars in the coming years.
Because of its high transparency and clarity, its light weight, high design freedom, and strong impact resistance make it an ideal choice for automotive glass. Recent developments have even enhanced its applicability to this application, such as the modified UN. The 43R rule, which allows 360 degrees of surround glass, offers the possibility of applying polycarbonate to design windshields, just as we showed in the car concept at the 2016 K show.
With respect to substitution in electric vehicles, excellent polycarbonate thermal insulation performance will play a more important role in the future. A thermal management based on improving the internal thermal insulation of the car will reduce the energy consumption of air conditioners or heaters, thereby expanding the electric Space for the car.
In addition, the exterior of the car, like the area of the front radiator grille, would require a polycarbonate coating on a large transparent glass-like surface - which will eventually also drive the polycarbonate glass market.
In terms of applications, where do you think the opportunity to use polycarbonate glass in passenger cars is that you think it is limited to aesthetic glass fittings, such as skylights?
In addition to traditional passenger cars, driverless shared electric vehicles will open up new applications for polycarbonate. This will include transparent glass assembly, and glass-like design-driven body panels. Visible seamless way to hide sensors and cameras etc.
What do you think is the greatest opportunity/application of carbon fiber in mass-produced cars?
Composites made of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics have played an important role in the automotive business. They promote climate protection and resource conservation by simplifying and highly integrated processes, and reducing energy consumption and providing strong sustainability opportunities.
Especially with polycarbonate-based composites, it will be possible to combine aesthetics and semi-structural properties: Lightweight, high strength, aesthetics.
Different market segments, including the electrical and electronics industries, and the automotive industry, are looking for lighter and stronger materials than ever before. Until recently, Covestro began manufacturing continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTP) in southern Germany. ).
It seems that the process of manufacturing carbon fiber is progressing faster than its recycling. When the end of the service life of carbon fiber components is still facing challenges?
In principle, there are many possibilities for recovering CFRTP. For thermosetting materials, it can be pyrolysis or dissolution - these techniques will reduce the performance of the fiber.
Thermoplastic materials have different options for recycling - they can be re-melted, can be cut into thin sheets, used for high-performance forged carbon materials, can also be ground into powders for composite materials, and many other uses.
However, when selecting the most appropriate method, it is often necessary to consider ecological and economic factors as well as laws and regulations.
One of the main advantages of CFRTPs is their high durability so that users can expect long-term product life.
In automotive manufacturing, what other trends do you see when it comes to using lightweight composite materials?
In general, plastic composites make cars lighter, extend their use by reducing energy consumption—in the case of electric vehicles—and simplify assembly of cars through functional integration, and may reduce assembly costs.
In addition, polycarbonate-based CFRTPs can realize Class A surfaces, so they can place structural properties on visible parts.
In addition, composite materials are highly impact resistant and offer a great deal of design freedom. Because of these characteristics, they will play a more important role in the future of automobiles.
Which car applications are the most promising for 'smart materials'?
We believe that the future automobile body will feature the extensive use of plastic parts with multi-functional glass surfaces and seamless integration with the housing. The new polycarbonate-based tailgate concept, even a wraparound glass, provides Additional weight reduction possibilities, higher design freedom and further functional integration, in particular provides an economical production using two-component injection molding.
The combination of light and functionality opens the door to indoor innovation. Dashboards, center consoles, and rear seat covers will have digital surfaces with new integrated features. Polycarbonates can achieve high gloss and matte adjoining surfaces, projection surfaces or advanced lighting element.
Another focus is on the integration of innovative light concepts based on energy-efficient LED lighting technology. New features and design options will not only be used in the classic headlamp and taillight areas, but will also be used for larger exterior parts of the body. To that end, new Plastic optical components need to be integrated into plastic parts.
Especially unmanned, there will be a need to integrate multiple sensors that use different measuring principles, such as a lidar system. In order to meet these requirements, Covestro developed the concept of polycarbonate color, which provides the maximum degree of infrared transmission.