KRAIBURG TPE wins industry award for successful component development with car manufacturer

KRAIBURG TPE teamed up with an automobile manufacturer based in southern Germany to create an outstanding solution
.
This highly efficient and sustainable new material was developed with the future in mind and was developed in close cooperation with OEMs and is now being prepared for serial production
.

Seals are an important automotive component used in almost all parts of a vehicle
.
Additionally, the seals prevent water from penetrating the interior of the vehicle through doors, engine compartment, tonneau cover or other areas
.
However, rubber parts often cause uncomfortable noises when they come into contact with or move over parts made of materials such as glass, plastic or metal
.
In severe cases, the operation of components can be severely restricted, resulting in very rough sliding between components, which is known as the stick-slip effect
.
A premium car manufacturer decided to partner with KRAIBURG TPE to develop solutions to such problems
.
The material developed in cooperation between the two parties is now a huge success: the Best Design Award at the 18th MATERIALICA Design Awards
.

To eliminate the noise caused by the stick-slip effect, it is common in the industry to add an anti-wear coating
.
But sometimes it is difficult to add the coating in the most reliable way, and the coating also wears down over time
.
If this happens, the vehicle will experience annoying noise late in its lifespan, seriously impacting the quality of the car, something OEMs are desperate to avoid
.
Anti-friction coatings that are widely used today also have a disadvantage: they hinder the separation of different materials after the vehicle is scrapped, reducing the recyclability of the vehicle
.

The new approach completely avoids the obvious shortcomings of previous solutions
.
No additional coatings are required due to the use of custom engineered materials, adaptable components and improved materials
.
Other advantages include: depot effect (ensures long-term anti-friction properties), maximum design freedom, increased flexibility during processing, fewer processing steps, lower weight and cost savings
.
Most importantly, the thermoplastic elastomers used in the new solutions are recycled through in-process recovery
.

Overview of key figures:

- Up to 90% reduction in lateral friction coefficient of components

- 50% less wear

- Materials are 100% recyclable through in-process recovery

Dipl.
Ing.
Florian Vetter of KRAIBURG TPE Automotive R&D describes the close cooperation: "The close cooperation with the car manufacturers has allowed us to make significant progress
in this project.
We believe that the project is a raw material supply An example of a successful cooperation between a businessman and an OEM, in a spirit of mutual support and sustainability, with many benefits for both parties" The entire project benefited from the early involvement of the OEM, which ultimately allowed us to provide solutions that meet the specific requirements of our customers solution"
.

On October 20, 2020, the eMove360°Hybrid 2020 for Mobility 4.
0 conference was held, and the 18th MATERIALICA Design and Technology Award was also held in this conference with the theme of Electronics-Connectivity-Automation
.
The new material, developed by Mercedes Benz AG in cooperation with KRAIBURG TPE, has won the Best Design Award in the Quiet Materials category for its best performance in tribological systems
.

Image: Going forward, more projects will require direct collaboration between OEMs and material manufacturers
.
This kind of cooperation is essential to quickly find efficient and sustainable solutions for the future
.

(Source: KRAIBURG TPE®)