| Mercedes-Benz is cutting the weight
of thermoplastics using nanoparticles.
Researchers at its Sindelfingen facility are testing lightweight fenders.
Nanothermoplastics need less filler material to develop their mechanical
properties, heat resistance and thermal expansion. This will help save
weight in body parts such as fenders and door panels.
Mercedes researcher Jens Humpenöder said: “Even additions of
just a few per cent of the total weight can achieve mechanical properties
that would otherwise require the addition of over 30 per cent by weight
of conventional fillers.”
Nanoclays improve the surface quality of plastic parts and their fabrication
properties. As a result, the wall thickness can be reduced to save weight
or the flow distances used for injection moulding can be extended. This
reduces the tooling cost.
If carbon nanotubes or carbon nanofibres are used instead, the results
are even better, said Humpenöder.
These particles are very strong and elastic. They also display good electrical
conductivity, an essential feature for cathodic dip painting.
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