Our innovative high-performance plastics are developed to meet a wide variety of technological challenges in automotive. Browse these pages to learn more about how our industry experts, scientists and engineers work hand in hand with our customers to develop next generation solutions.
One of the first things that draws a consumer to a vehicle is how the exterior looks. That’s why it’s so important to manufacture exterior parts with an attractive look and feel. Whether it’s for rearview mirrors, door handles, or wheel covers, the requirements are for strong materials with high aesthetic value, and a smooth touch. This makes excellent UV stability absolutely critical.
Our broad portfolio of materials has grades suited to a wide range of exterior applications – for both painted and unpainted parts. Glass fiber–reinforced Akulon polyamide 6 addresses all the needs of exterior parts, with UV-stabilized grades suitable for parts with complex shapes, including exterior mirror bases, and parts manufactured using gas-assist injection molding, such as door handles.
For door handles, our specialized grades provide high UV stability when unpainted, and smoothness and excellent adhesion when painted. For exterior rearview mirrors, our materials combine aesthetics with high stiffness and strength for what is ultimately an important safety application.
DSM provides thermoplastic solutions for exterior rearview mirrors and actuators which provide stability in all conditions at all speeds and aesthetically pleasing
Akulon polyamide 6 & 66 resins represent the best value in all-purpose engineering materials. For molded parts, they offer an excellent balance of easy design and processing with outstanding mechanical properties over a wide temperature range and in diverse operating environments.
EcoPaXX is a high-performance, bio-based polyamide which provides excellent surface finish
Our Arnite portfolio includes high performance engineering polyester plastics (PBT, PET, and blends) that combine high strength and rigidity with excellent processing characteristics.
With our broad, high-quality materials portfolio and in-depth technology know-how, we work in close collaboration with customers to develop new applications in response to the search for lighter, stronger and more durable materials.
Here's a selection of some of our most recognized brands and products, keeping you ahead of the curve and enabling you to lead the market through the use of cutting-edge technology.
For automotive exterior applications, look and feel are both very important. DSM has proven its performance in this market with the right materials for years for e.g. mirror housing and door handles. Today we also offer a reinforced Akulon® polyamide 6 for unpainted exterior automotive parts that require very good surface quality. By eliminating the need to paint such exterior parts, DSM is making a major contribution to unit cost savings without compromising on quality.
We take a scientific approach to building solutions. Our dedicated teams work closely with our customers to look at the entire process of developing new parts and components – whether it is a case of metal replacement, or developing solutions that are stronger, safer and more effective. Our methodical approach extends to every step of the process, from design and material performance to production and compliance.
While many new parts designed to be manufactured from engineering plastics can bypass or reduce the number of secondary processing steps, some parts still require operations such as painting and printing.
As car manufacturers continuously focus on reducing weight to improve fuel efficiency, replacing metal parts with plastic remains a key challenge.
Designing an innovative part is only one step in the process. Once you have the part design and the material grade selected, and you have successfully manufactured the part in the lab, you need to roll it out for commercial production.
