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BMW selects Noryl GTX resin for 6 series
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GE Advanced Materials
: 25 May, 2004 (Technical Article) |
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Fenders for the recently launched BMW 6 Series are the latest application success in a series of painted body panels moulded from Noryl GTX resin, a modified high-performance PPO/PA alloy, selected by BMW for its broad chemical resistance, stiffness, impact strength, and superior high-heat performance. |
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Fenders for the recently launched BMW 6 Series are the latest application success in a series of painted body panels moulded from Noryl GTX resin, a modified high-performance PPO/PA alloy, selected by BMW for its broad chemical resistance, stiffness, impact strength, and superior high-heat performance.
According to Hans Schwager, director - plastics development and processing, product concepts and architecture, vehicle integration, BMW Group: “We selected Noryl GTX resin for the fenders on the BMW 6 Series because it provided our designers with unprecedented design freedom and gave us the weight saving we had targeted. The material also met our demanding requirements for paint-line oven temperatures.”
Weight saving is a key requirement for BMW, which sees lightweight technology as one of the most important elements of future car development and design. Currently, plastics account for approximately 13 percent of the weight of a BMW car, and the company anticipates that this number will rise to around 18 percent during the next five years.
Weight reduction, increased design space and styling flexibility have been established automotive industry requirements for decades. Today, many automakers consider these requirements to be a necessity as the number of new model vehicles increases, along with competitive pressures and legislative mandates. As automakers increasingly look to their suppliers to help meet these needs, these suppliers are under increasing pressure to deliver newer and better product technologies.
GE Advanced Materials is leading the way in technology and innovation with solutions such as Noryl GTX resin. Today, painted body panels molded from GE Advanced Materials’ engineered resins can be found on 19 vehicle platforms produced by nine automotive manufacturers worldwide. With more engineering thermoplastic body panels on the road than any other resin supplier, GE Advanced Materials understands that customers want product options that can be used in major automotive painting processes.
Painted Body Panels
GE Advanced Materials offers resins to accommodate on-line, in-line, and off-line paint methods. On-line and in-line painted body panels can use either non-conductive Noryl GTX resins, or conductive Noryl GTX resin grades that eliminate the need for primers. Xenoy resin can be specified for off-line painted panels, or for moulded-in colour panels, which don’t require painting.
“No Paint” Panels
Lexan SLX film is a new product that offers advanced ‘paint-free’ options for body panels. It delivers a Class A surface finish with deep gloss consumer appeal, is scratch and chemical resistant, and has the ability to withstand prolonged exposure to UV rays without fading.
For auto manufacturers, Lexan SLX film can eliminate new paint line investment and paint line emissions and - by replacing metal panels – can reduce vehicle weight by up to 50 percent. A polycarbonate-based film, Lexan SLX film can be processed using large in-mould decoration techniques, is well suited to a wide range of exterior body panel applications and matches well with a variety of substrates.
Weight Out
Fenders, or other body panels, made of Noryl GTX, Xenoy, or Lexan SLX resins can reduce weight by up to 40 percent compared with steel. Moreover, they offer chemical and impact resistance and can withstand dents and dings from low-impact collisions.
Automotive designers increasingly prefer GE Advanced Materials’ resins because they can enhance both styling freedom and performance and can be moulded into complex shapes that are difficult to achieve in metal.
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