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Mazda Motor debuts bio engineering plastic for exteriors

03 Jan '15

2 min read

Japanese motor car producer, Mazda Motor said it has developed a new bio-based engineering plastic that can be used for exterior design parts for automobiles.

The new plastic developed in partnership with Mitsubishi Chemical, will help Mazda to reduce its impact on the environment in a number of important ways.

And since the plastic is made from plant-derived materials, its adoption will help to curb the use of petroleum resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Additionally, the material can be dyed and emissions of volatile organic compounds associated with the painting process reduced.

Dyed parts made from the bio-based engineering plastic feature a finish of higher-quality than can be achieved with traditional painted plastic.

The deep hue and smooth, mirror-like finish of the surface make the newly-developed plastic suitable for external vehicle parts with a high design factor.

Mazda displayed the prototype "Mazda Biotechmaterial" parts made from the bio-based engineering plastic at Eco-Products 2014, which ran from December 11-14, 2014 at Tokyo Big Sight.

Mazda has been proactively developing technologies in the biomass field for a number of years.

To date, under the "Mazda Biotechmaterial" name, the company has succeeded in developing the automotive industry's first high-strength heat-resistant plant-derived bioplastic for auto interior parts.

It has also developed the world's first biofabric for vehicle seat upholstery made entirely from plant-derived fibre.

However, to be suitable for exterior parts, plastics are required to possess not only a high quality finish, but also excellent weather, scratch and impact resistance in order to stand up to harsh environmental factors to which they are exposed.

Achieving this combination of characteristics with bioplastics has posed a technical challenge. However, now, Mazda has succeeded in making a material suitable for both interior and exterior parts.

This has been achieved by optimizing the composition of a newly developed, highly mouldable and durable bioplastic base material with additives and coloring agents (patent pending), and optimizing molding specifications.

This will enable the company to produce parts that are as durable as conventional painted ABS plastic parts yet feature a higher quality finish.

This bio-based engineering plastic will be used for the first time for interior parts for the all-new Mazda MX-5 which will be launched globally in 2015 and in future on all other models. (AR)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India