Tangible examples of smart and sustainable plastics

Three leading companies in their respective fields of activity reflect that sustainable innovation in the world of plastic does not stop.

Currently, Industrias Alegre's innovation development lines focus on three blocks that are clear trends in the sector that must be responded to in the short term. These axes are, “lightening the weight of the vehicle, intelligent surfaces and more sustainable surface finishes, and the incorporation of recovered materials into the vehicle. Another line in which we work globally in the sector is to reduce the carbon footprint throughout the entire value chain,” explains Amparo Vázquez, R&D director of the Valencian company.

Vázquez emphasizes that “the diversity of materials within a vehicle is inevitable. Ecodesign looks towards the unification of materials, the integration of different materials in the same production process to avoid intermediate manipulations and the reduction of components. The main objective in the development of a new part is precisely to analyze these optimization opportunities from the design phase.”

At Industrias Alegre they are working on eco-design “so that the plastic integration of electronic components (plastronics) is a reality that is increasingly closer to the market and in the same way, we inject metal parts, long fiber reinforcements, and other materials, with the objective of optimizing processes as much as possible and making them more sustainable. We think that plastic will have a greater role in the electric vehicle, due to its lightness, its processability and its high mechanical properties reinforced with fibers. Batteries still have to evolve a lot and plastic materials have great competitive advantages.

We think that plastic will have a greater role in the electric vehicle, due to its lightness, its processability and its high mechanical properties reinforced with fibers (Amparo Vázquez, Industrias Alegre)

In relation to sustainability and circular economy "we are working, to list three major fronts, on the intelligence of the production processes, the energy efficiency of our plants and the incorporation of recovered materials in the pieces, but the list is longer, all Our efforts are aimed at sustainability, in each new project or each review of projects in production… it is priority number 1,” concludes Amparo Vázquez.

Various lines of innovation

With its innovation work, Antolin aims to contribute from the inside to the development of more intelligent, safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly cars. The company has projects aimed at improving the perception of thermal comfort as it is a particularly relevant objective in electric vehicles, as well as new safety and driving assistance functions through corrective lighting with which to improve visual capacity at night or biometric solutions for driver monitoring based on the correlation of certain vital parameters with states of attention, stress and fatigue.

Research into HMI interaction solutions based on two types of elements is also important: hidden touch screens and control buttons integrated into surfaces capable of changing shape.

“In the field of lighting, we continue working on the development of algorithms with which to model the behavior of interior surfaces in different lighting scenarios, as well as on solutions that allow the ambient lighting to be automatically varied depending on the conditions. light from the outside,” they explain.

In Antolin's field of action, automobile interiors and surfaces, “the most common cases are those related to the combination of plastic materials and natural fibers and plastronics. Regarding the first case, we have series products where the use of natural fibers in combination with plastic materials allows us to increase the recyclable content and, in many cases, reduce the weight of the final piece, both in door panels and pillars. Additionally, we have validated its use in instrument panels, maintaining its compatibility with current processes and coatings and with the airbag system, achieving a 40% weight reduction.”

Secondly, there are also several lines of innovation in the company dedicated to plastronics, “which is a booming and potentially sustainable technology. Despite not adding functionality, it allows high added value to be provided to illuminated decorative pieces, whether smart or not. It provides advantages such as reducing the complexity and number of parts of the product, which translates into reduced packaging, which maximizes the habitability of the vehicle. It also leads to lighter weight of the products, which helps improve the autonomy of the vehicle.”

As an expert in injection of plastic parts, Antolin has always worked with its customers to support them in decarbonization objectives throughout the supply chain. value of the car, including offering lighter products that increase the autonomy of the vehicle, whether traditional or electric propulsion. From replacing the metal rails of our window lift systems with plastic rails, to the implementation of processes such as chemical foaming, a sustainable alternative in terms of weight (reduction of up to 20%), recyclability, ductility and carbon footprint for our plastic parts.

For example, as a result of years of close collaboration, Renault and Antolin have jointly developed chemical foaming technology for visible applications on door panels. “Thanks to this collaboration, the technology has been fully validated past standard specification and launched into series production for the rear door panels of the new Renault Espace. Antolin has been implementing this solution since 2014 when it was used in the visible part of a trunk lid lining.”

In the coming months, we will present several solutions focused on the circular economy in combination with affordable products (Antolin)

To move towards a sustainable world, Antolin is committed to taking advantage of the resources that nature provides and using all the potential that innovation offers. “At Antolin, we have numerous lines of open research. First, through the development of materials of plant origin, either directly (based on mycelium) or through their components (vegetable oils to produce polyurethane). We also have projects, of which Antolin is a pioneer, to offer components and solutions that use materials manufactured from urban waste or recycled plastic. And we continue working on lighter, lighter products, with the aim of reducing vehicle emissions, and with eco-design, linked to product life cycle analyses. In the coming months, we are going to present several solutions focused on the circular economy in combination with affordable products, something that we believe marks what truly is a sustainable action: reuse without involving new expenditure of raw materials and energy.”

Relevance of compounds

As a supplier of plastic components, Repsol has developed its new Impacto polypropylene (PP) compounds with very high mechanical and aesthetic performance for plastic parts of the interior and exterior of cars. With this product, the company has achieved lightening of the weight of PP compounds by lowering densities (e.g. lowering the level of mineral fillers using new generation range) and by designing compounds for new technologies such as chemical injection/foaming or parts mechanics. Other advances take the form of hybrid Reciclex circular compounds with high technical performance, carrying virgin PP + recycled PP PCR closed loop auto to meet the new circularity objectives requested by builders; PP compounds with a high level of transparency for new generations of bumpers; and PP materials designed for IMSE plastronics technology. Likewise, it is providing support to the local integration objectives of some builders with a new polypropylene compounds plant in Tangier (Morocco) with its partner Ravago.

At the end of 2019, Repsol subscribed to a stake in the Finnish startup TactoTek, through its Repsol Corporate Venturing investment fund. Since 2020, the two companies have been jointly developing the technology to manufacture smart surfaces intended mainly for the automotive sector, using polyolefins, “which represents an innovation in materials that will provide new design and integration opportunities to the different parts that make up the vehicle. Together we seek to expand the use of polyolefins in high-performance parts, such as smart surfaces, which until now have only been made with other plastic materials. With the incorporation of polyolefins in these functional surfaces we can offer an innovation in materials that will bring new design and integration opportunities to the different parts that make up the vehicle,” explains Jose Mikael, Product Manager of Advanced Automotive Solutions at Repsol.

The company is building in its Puertollano Industrial Complex (Ciudad Real) the first plant in the Iberian Peninsula capable of manufacturing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), a material considered a 'super polymer' for its exceptional properties. “UHMWPE is a material that, due to its exceptional hardness and resistance characteristics, can replace steel in some applications and has high impact resistance, high toughness and self-lubricating capacity. Among its applications are highly differentiated products with high added value, such as lithium-ion battery separators. This material combines excellent mechanical properties with great lightness, they will greatly help to overcome this handicap, lightening the weight of the batteries,” details Mikael.

UHMWPE is a material that, due to its exceptional hardness and resistance characteristics, can replace steel in some applications and has high impact resistance (Jose Mikael, Repsol)

From the prism of sustainability, for auto materials at Repsol, when technically feasible, “we will develop and offer new mechanical recycling solutions with sustainable post-consumer PCR flows and preferably from local ELV closed loop end-of-life vehicles. To do this, we work with partner Acteco to select the best PCR flows available, ensuring quality and sustainable volumes. Regarding materials that require exceptional performance (high security parts, light-colored aesthetics) in which the currently available technologies do not allow it to be done mechanically, Repsol will provide circular solutions from chemical recycling (for the closed loop type car with sources from end-of-life tires (e.g.) or from 2G bio origin for those clients interested in significantly lowering their carbon footprint,” concludes Product Manager of Advanced Solutions for Auto at Repsol.

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