The right material in the right place
The E-LFT-Process has shown that it is suitable for volume production – in this case, volume production of the smart fortwo tailgate with polypropylene

The smart fortwo tailgate is the first volume production application using the E-LFT process and the first LFT component to feature a visible, grained and in-coloured surface. Around 120,000 components have been supplied by Weber Automotive to the smart manufacturer since the end of March 2007. When the component was selected to receive the JEC Award in Paris (see Polymotive, iss. 4/2008), Polymotive met the Managing Director of the Swiss development company Esoro and spoke with him about the development of the components and application fields for E-LFT technology. ....read more!

PP LFT makes inroads into automotive sector

A Press Day held at TechnoCompound enabled journalists from the trade press to acquire an insight into the portfolio of the compounder. Polymotive spoke with Managing Director Hans-Dieter Voss and Marketing Director Liborius Flöper about the company’s PP LFT rod-shaped pellets. The company has succeeded, by further developing the Pultrusion Process so as to achieve an even and complete coating of glass fibres with polypropylene sufficient to ensure that the result no longer compares unfavourably with short glass fibre PA. ....read more!

Vehicle of the month:
Fiat 500!

The purpose of this section which we feature in every edition of our magazine is to present the results of design analysis of vehicles recently launched on the automobile market. This article was produced in collaboration with Mavel, a European leader in car design analysis. The aim of this article is not to present a detailed examination of a design (which is available in “Mavel’s report”) but rather to throw light on some noteworthy aspects. ....read more!

Solutions for Inside and Out
Borealis contributes materials to the Fiat 500

Thermoplastic olefins based on polypropylene (TPO) from Borealis are used both in interior and exterior components on the Fiat 500. For the passenger compartment the company, head-quartered in Vienna, Austria, supplies materials for the dashboard and for the exterior, the TPOs can be found in the bumpers. ....read more!

Glazing - a distinctive design element
Land Rover LRX concept car with high-tech plastic glazing

Land Rover unveiled its vision of the Land Rover future with two versions of their Land Rover LRX concept car. The three-door premium cross-coupé prototype is fitted with a unique panoramic roof and side and rear windows, made from Sabic Innovative Plastics‘ Lexan GLX high-performance plastic glazing with Exatec coating technology. ...read more!

Lightweight in a carbon costume
Toyota Concept Car with Bodywork made from a Carbon Fibre Composite Material

Lightweight construction is the central theme in automotive design. The heaviest individual item, the bodywork, deserves special attention. Here, engine capacity and with it fuel consumption is influenced by low weight. With bodywork made from a carbon fibre composite material (CFRP) Toyota now presents a lightweight construction alternative in a concept vehicle, an alternative which will be familiar primarily from motor racing. ...read more!

Read more about several products for the automotive industry
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