With growing concerns about climate change and environmental degradation, sustainability has become a strategic priority for automotive manufacturers. When the BMW Group was looking for a bumper design for a new car model, which had to meet the companies’ sustainability goals, engineers from LyondellBasell and two collaborating companies in the value chain took up the challenge.
Quickly, the project team opted for a foamed part to achieve the necessary weight reduction. Thanks to the combination of the expertise from all three companies – raw material, part design & molding and ceramic coating - the foamed part achieved the highest surface/quality ranking and passed a certificated test series with good results.
LyondellBasell’s mission was very clear from the start – we had to create a product grade which would allow the production of a lightweight automotive part with an excellent optical appearance. The innovative foaming material is a Hifax polypropylene compound which has been used for the 1st time in physical (MuCell) foaming visible parts ever. The foamed lower trim is now being manufactured in serial production.
“This is another example of how plastic material can help in reducing CO2 emissions,” says Michael Büdinger, Project Manager at LyondellBasell. “The success of this project has not only been achieved thanks to the expertise of all companies involved, but, more importantly, due to their readiness and willingness to change practice. The ‘power of many’ made this project possible”.
