Lanxess says its Tepex dynalite continuous-fibre-reinforced, semi-finished thermoplastic composites are now finding new applications in vehicle interiors.
One example is the backseat system of an offroad vehicle made by an unnamed European car manufacturer. The centre backseat is equipped with a load-through that enables the backrest of each seat to be folded down individually.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The load-through component is produced by shaping and back-injecting Tepex dynalite.
“The part marks the entry of this composite material into the lightweight design of backseat systems and is further evidence of its enormous potential in series production applications,” said Tepex Automotive head of Technical Marketing and Business Development, Henrik Plaggenborg.
For his part, Tepex project manager, Harri Dittmar, added: “The new component is more than 40% lighter than its steel counterpart. At the same time, this safety-relevant component withstands all load scenarios, because the orientation of the continuous fibre layers in the only 2mm-thick semi-finished product is designed to bear the mechanical stress.”
Tepex is manufactured by Lanxess subsidiary Bond-Laminates, based in Brilon, Germany.
The lightweight component was developed by Brose Fahrzeugteile with support from the Lanxess High Performance Materials business unit. Brose manufactures the component at its site in Coburg, Germany.
