B.I.G. Yarns (Beaulieu International Group) in Belgium said it had completed its first industrial production runs of virgin polyester BCF yarns for automotive carpet to complement its line of polyamide PA6 products.
The supplier said there was a growing market in PET for automotive interior applications with polyester allowing automotive OEMs and Tier 1 to develop products that, from the outset, consider eco-design by building mono-polymer carpets and flooring that are 100% recyclable at End of Life (EOL ).
The new yarns offer high performance for automotive carpets, including abrasion and stain resistance, and durability, passing all stringent automotive tests including the Taber test for abrasion performance, compressibility and recovery ability test, light fastness in automotive and VOC according the VDA 278 test.
The yarns can be colour dyed, have a dTex between 1300 – 1500, 81 filaments and are ideally for mats with a composition of 400 to 800 gram per m², while the yarns for molded carpets have a dTex of 1200, 144 filaments for 380 gram per m².
PET BCF yarns bring virgin material to automotive carpets, creating a new systemic approach towards mono-polymer-based automotive applications,” said Glenn Hyzak, global sales director, yarns.
The supplier said it was now a one-stop-shop for three types of solution dyed BCF carpet yarns for the automotive industry: nylon (PA6), polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET), and the Eqo-range of PA6 yarns which positioned the company to help carpet manufacturers meet sustainability targets.
The automotive carpet market was expected to grow strongly in the coming decade with the increased demand for vehicle customisation and personalisation driven by owners looking to upgrade and enhance interiors, including the flooring area.
A growing awareness around car hygiene was also boosting the market as consumers become more conscious of maintaining cleanliness in their vehicles, including the floors. Automotive carpets provide an effective solution by trapping dirt and preventing it from spreading to other areas.
