Dow Automotive has entered an alliance with Cyclics Corporation to develop cyclic butylene terephthalate (CBT) resins for automotive applications.
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The material development activities will focus on a number of automotive structural composites, including vertical and horizontal body panels and truck boxes.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Dow Automotive and Cyclics research and development staff will work together to determine how the material can best be incorporated in automotive applications.
Dow Automotive claims expertise in thermoset and thermoplastic process development and materials science expertise and said in a statement that the two organisations expect to develop components formed using a number of techniques, including compression and injection moulding.
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By GlobalDataDow Automotive will this year work with customers to identify industry trends and unmet needs to drive future development efforts.
“Market development studies show that there is a great need for this type of new material in a number of applications in both North America and Europe,” said Dow Automotive new business development manager Jane Palmieri.
One of the benefits of composites made from CBT resins is that they will be recyclable, helping OEMs and tier one suppliers meet governmental regulations for ‘recyclability’. In addition, this alternative material will contribute to lighter weight vehicle designs.
Cyclics opened a new headquarters and R&D facility in Schenectady, New York state, today to support this and other materials development initiatives.
Cyclics Corporation sells an “innovative” plastic that it claims is a “breakthrough in processing”, making new products possible and changing the economics of existing ones.
The company’s resins offer the processing advantages of a thermoset, namely the low viscosity, but have the material properties of a thermoplastic when polymerised.
The company says its products are useful in structural composites, compounding and powder coating, where the water-like viscosity of the cyclic materials allow for extremely high filler volumes and unique polymer chemistries.
