Boecillo (Valladolid, Spain), June 13 2017

CIDAUT Foundation, in conjunction with the chemical giant and global automotive supplier BASF, presented on June 13 their last capabilities and solutions to meet the new challenges posed by new mobility systems. The solutions shown were plentiful and opened a wide variety of alternatives.

The Workshop, celebrated at CIDAUT’s premises in Boecillo Technological Park (Valladolid, Spain), was attended by more than 100 people, mainly technical product managers and technicians and professionals from the main companies of Castilla y Leon´s automotive sector. In this way, car manufacturers as Renault España or Nissan Motor Manufacturing and automotive suppliers as Grupo Antolin, Faurecia, Flex-N-Gate, Gestamp, IAC Group, Reiner, Reydel Automotive, ZF-TRW, Repsol, Casple, Treves, Safran engineering, Vulcanizados Álvarez, Grupo Ubiplast, Grudem, etc. were fully represented.

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The technical workshop was chaired by the president of CIDAUT Foundation, Mr. José Oliveri Gandarillas, and by the BASF Commercial Manager Mrs. Katarzyna Byczkowska. During the workshop, representatives from BASF´s QEHS Product Stewardship Division, Performance Materials – Engineering Plastics Division, Performance Materials – Polyurethane Systems Division, Performance Materials – TPU Division, Dispersions Division, and Coatings Division explained about: “Sustainability applied to automotive product”; “Electronic and electrical systems; Ultramid® Advanced N plastics for sophisticated components and applications”, “Polyurethane in Automotive sector:  acoustic advanced applications, and new used of Cellasto® foams”; “Thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU) in automotive sector”; “New development and applications of BASF´s Acrodur® for composite in automotive sectors”, and “Presentation of the new BASF’s iGloss® clearcoat technology”.

In the second block, Mr. Javier Romo, R&D Project Manager of CIDAUT Foundation, explained about the vision of this Research Centre related to new materials and processes applied to the vehicles of the future. On this concept, Javier Romo delved into several European research projects carried out by CIDAUT in collaboration with other partners (significant companies of automotive sector and other research centers). Such is the case of e-LIGHT Project (Advanced Structural Light-Weight Architectures for Electric Vehicles), URBAN-EV project (Super Light Architectures for Safe and Affordable Urban Electric Vehicles), or PLUS-MOBY Project (Premium Low weight Urban Sustainable e-MOBilitY), in which different materials are combined to achieve superior performance in terms of strength, weight, and volume utilization. Finally, Mr. Raúl García Esparza from the Spanish Center for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI) informed about its programs to support R&D initiatives inside automotive sector. The event was closed by the assistant deputy of the national government in Valladolid Mr. Luis Antonio Gómez Iglesias.

In addition, the conference featured a wide exhibition area in which CIDAUT and BASF showed some of their solutions and products explained during the different sessions of the Workshop. In this way, more than 50 plastic solutions both automotive sector than aeronautics sector were shown. By way of example, some of the solutions exhibited were: a grille open reinforcement 2016 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 (first to market resistant implant-welded, closed-section composite structure); innovative snow chains based in different BASF´s elastollan® product; a front bearing of VW Golf VII manufactured in PA6-GF40 (BASF´s Ultramid B®); BMW i3 seat with backrest in polyamide (PA BASF´s Ultramid®) and integral structural part for carbon body (PBT); Daimler´s rare axle transmission crossbeam manufactured in PA66-GF50; a VOLVO´s Engine Cover manufactured in PU (Polyurethane); a PSA´s injection pump cover  manufactured in BASF´s Elastollan® C85A15HPM + PA6 40%GF; a VW´s door handle in different materials; a roll bars protector; a Land Rover´s, Audi´s and PSA´s shift levers manufactured in different materials,; a Ford´s steering wheel manufactured in BASF´s PU/ESA Elastofoam® I; a VW Golf VI´s central console manufactured in TPU/ESA; an AUDI´s cockpit manufactured in BASF´s  PU/ESA Elastoflex®; a Citroën C4 Cactus´s rear tailgate cover manufactured in polyester-polyurethane elastomer (BASF´s Elastollan AC 55D10 HPM), etc.

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One of the powerful solutions shown was a leading edge of Airbus A320 development by CIDAUT in epoxy RTM6 + satin 5 using a RTM technology in a closed mould, as well as a BASF´s concept of electric velocipede called ‘concept 1865’. This e-velocipede counts with 24 different polymer applications, such as bearingless all-plastic pedals made of “ultrason®” and puncture-proof tires made of “infinergy®” (a closed cell expanded thermoplastic polyurethane).

basf_5BASF´s concept 1865 electric velocipede

It was also very interesting to display Cidaut´s innovative “hybrid IP beam concepts” for automotive sector manufactured in different materials: metal and PA30%GF using a press-on-metal technique; PP30%GF + TEPEX using an injection technology over structural thermoplastic (TEPEX); frames Airbus A400M also manufactured by CIDAUT in epoxy RTM6 + satin 5 using a RTM technology in a closed mold; aesthetic pieces of vehicle interior parts with different vegetal fiber contents (PP-PE + sisal fiber) and colours; door panel´s baguettes manufactured in PP-PE using a direct monochrome film injection process with 150 micron thickness; a fuel tank manhole cover of Airbus A-380 manufactured in Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) reinforced by carbon fiber (PEEK 30%CF). This is an external non-structural part for which the critical issues were weight, chemical resistance and fuel resistance, which represents the largest piece ever manufactured in those materials.

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Some CIDAUT´ solutions (Left: leading edge of Airbus A320. Right:  A380 HTP Manhole Cover); aesthetic pieces PP-PE + sisal fiber; frames Airbus A400M; A380 HTP Manhole Cover made of PEEK30%CF) were also part of the showroom.