Issue 9/2019 - Advanced automotive materials enhance the driving experience

During Auto Shanghai 2019, Dow introduced a range of innovative products and solutions
to meet the new challenges of the automotive industry.
These solutions start from the user experience and work closely with car companies to provide consumers with a "sound, shape and taste" driving experience
.

The^VORAFORCE™ composite system from Dow has been successfully applied to automotive structural parts (e.
g.
, B-pillars, base plates, suspension) and coverings (e.
g.
, hoods, roof covers, doors) with ultra-fast curing
.
This product is used in the mass production of the rear floor of the Audi A8 body, which is 50% lighter and 24%
more torsional rigid than the previous generation of steel and aluminum structural products.
The project won the "JEC Innovation Award 2018" at Composite Europe
.

^VORAMER™ polyurethane series hot melt adhesives and water-based adhesives are characterized
by fast curing and easy operation.
While maintaining good adhesion performance, the product can also greatly reduce the production
of VOCs and compounds such as aldehydes, ammonia, benzene, etc.
, which are harmful to human health.

SPECFLEX^{TM polyurethane} systems are used in many interiors such as instrument panels, seats, and automotive carpets to meet traditional requirements for moldability and resilience, while helping to significantly reduce the generation of VOCs and aldehydes, especially acetaldehyde
.
Toyota Boshoku, a Japanese manufacturer of automotive seats, has fully adopted Dow's SPECFLEX TM polyurethane system in the seating system
of many models.

BETAFOAM TM^acoustic foam has excellent acoustic blocking performance, can effectively block gas and water, compared with traditional sound insulation block products, the sound insulation, vibration reduction, noise reduction (including wind noise, road noise and tire noise) effect of the car is significantly enhanced, and can effectively reduce the noise
of 1~5 decibels in the passenger cabin.
In addition, the foam provides greater flexibility and freedom in body design, plugging cavities of any shape, saving more than 20%
compared to the use of conventional soundproofing block products.
At present, this technology has been widely recognized in Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea and domestic independent brands, and has become the preferred solution
for car companies when considering sound insulation, vibration reduction and noise reduction design.