GM'S POPULAR SIERRA DENALI PICKUP TRUCK FEATURES BODY PANELS MADE WITH BAYER POLYURETHANE SYSTEM

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GM'S POPULAR SIERRA DENALI PICKUP TRUCK FEATURES BODY PANELS MADE WITH BAYER POLYURETHANE SYSTEM
22 June 2003 - Bayer MaterialScience AG

The truck box outer panels of the Sierra Denali are made using the Bayflex® 190 reinforced reaction injection molding (RRIM) system, and are manufactured for GM by Venture Industries, Inc.

Manufacturers are finding that the Bayflex 190 polyurethane system is an excellent alternative to sheet metal or SMC (sheet molding compound) for exterior automotive applications such as body panels, bumpers and tailgates.

'The Bayflex 190 system gives us excellent parts that offer reduced weight, increased design freedom, rapid prototyping and improved surface quality,' said Bob Rowley, manufacturing engineer with Venture Industries. 'But most important is the ability of these parts to be assembled on the vehi cle and to gothrough the normal ELPO painting process.'

Unlike many other non-metal body panel materials, parts made using the Bayflex 190 system do not blister or decompose in the high temperatures of the curing bake that is part of the vehicle painting process. Bayflex 190 is able to withstand temperatures in the range of 200 degrees Centigrade with no change in mechanical properties or performance.

'For the Denali pickup truck, the panels were installed on the vehicle during normal assembly, and painted along with the rest of the vehicle,' Rowley said.

'The surfaces of the parts molded using the Bayflex 190 system take coatings very well, assuring a uniform finish with surface quality comparable to coated steel parts,' Rowley added.

The Bayflex 190 system incorporates Bayer's newly patented mica-reinforced polyurethane and polyurea reaction injection molding technology. In addition to lighter finished- part weight, more rapid prototyping and improved design freedom, other advantages of using the Bayflex 190 system include reduced equipment and tooling costs, and production of parts with superior corrosion and impact resistance. Other properties include low moisture absorption and excellent green strength. Bayflex 190 technology can be processed with conventional RIM equipment.

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About: Bayer MaterialScience AG
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is part of the worldwide Bayer Group, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. Bayer employs 23,300 in North America with net North American sales of 8.8 billion euros in 2003. Bayer’s three operating business areas – HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience, improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose and treat diseases, protect crops and advance automobile safety and durability.

Bayer MaterialScience AG is one of the world's largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics. The main customers for Its innovative developments in coatings, adhesives, insulating materials and sealants, polycarbonates and polyurethanes are the automotive and construction industries, the electrical/electronics segment and manufacturers of sports and leisure goods, packaging, and medical devices.

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