SABIC® STAMAX IP Carriers: Lower costs, higher performance
Several major car manufacturers – including Daimler Chrysler, Ford, and Volkswagen – are now using SABIC® STAMAX materials for instrument panel carriers on their vehicles. Applications are growing, as Long Glass Fiber (LGF) reinforced polypropylene continues to demonstrate excellent performance and deliver lower system costs.
Replacing the alternatives
Instrument panel (IP) carriers – the parts that hold the car’s dashboard in place – are typically not visible within a vehicle. Traditionally, they have been made of a frame within a polyurethane foam structure that is then covered with a skin of PVC.
SABIC® STAMAX grades such as SABIC® STAMAX 30YK270 can now offer manufacturers both higher stiffness and lower density than alternative materials. They also demonstrate excellent mold flow, meaning that the manufacturer can achieve wall thickness of less than 2mm on the component and thereby use less material to deliver equivalent stiffness and strength.
Lower system costs
The combination of SABIC® STAMAX’s weight benefits and lower price per kg of material delivers a cost per part that can be half that of other materials.
Manufacturers have found that this translates into lower system costs with equivalent safety performance, while delivering fuel economy and sustainability through weight savings.
A growth market
Because of these benefits, use of LGF-reinforced material is growing fast. Current development projects and partnerships will put IP carriers made of SABIC® STAMAX grades into more than 16 models across 7 global automotive manufacturers by the end of 2008. Through performance and competitive pricing, SABIC® STAMAX has rapidly become the material of choice for this key component.
Summary
Name: SABIC® STAMAX
Grade: Various
Major features:
- Higher stiffness and lower density than competing materials
- Good mold flow delivers lower wall thickness of 1.8-2.0mm, ideal for semi-structural parts such as IP carriers
- Mechanical properties and price of SABIC® STAMAX combine to deliver lower material costs and lower system costs overall
