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NEW FORD FALCON SUPER COUPE, SECRET WEAPON
The CSIRO SICOR technology to be used in production of the body kit for the Ford Falcon 300+ Super Coupe will mean lower vehicle weight, reduced fuel consumption, lower production costs and for the first time in the world, a motor vehicle with plastic components that are easily recyclable. SICOR Chief Executive Damien Thomas, says, "SICOR means lightweight Polypropylene and other Polyolefins can now be used to replace the PVC, ABS and other plastic composite assemblies currently used by motor car manufacturers worldwide". Mr Thomas says, "As plastics make up 28% of a car, and the figure is growing, the use of lighter non-bondable plastics such as Polypropylene means a considerable competitive edge in automotive manufacturing". "SICOR is a new generation bonding technology allowing the sticking together of previously un-bondable or hard-to-bond materials such as plastic-to-plastic and paint-to-plastic and the lighter, Polypropylene." "In effect SICOR allows two products traditionally used for car components to be replaced by a single product." Polypropylene is also recyclable while ABS/PVC composite assemblies currently used in motor vehicle manufacture cannot be separated for recycling using conventional technology. With recycling of the complete motor vehicle currently legislated for in Germany, soon to be mandatory in Europe, and with Australia likely to follow suit, the use of easily recycled products offered by the use of Polypropylene is a major environmental breakthrough. Previously although Polypropylene could be easily recycled, no method was known for successfully painting or bonding it without the use of ozone depleting primers and thinners. Mr Thomas says, "SICOR surface polymer treatment technology has now made this possible". SICOR is an Australian invented process that for the first time enables the successful adhesion of paints, adhesives, inks, metallic coatings and other materials to otherwise non-bondable plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene and others. The concept involves oxidising the surface of a polymer followed by the application of special environmentally friendly chemicals that form "chemical connector" molecules on the surface of the originally "smooth" and chemically inert plastic. SICOR technology is already used in motor vehicle production by Holden Ltd. The CSIRO SICOR brand is soon to be marketed by a new technology company and for worldwide automotive applications by a joint-venture between CSIRO and Venture Industries.
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