TAGS: Automotive Sustainability and Bioplastics Part Design & Manufacturing
With the aim of facilitating the use of recycled and renewable materials in the automotive sector, AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, has launched the SURFTOP Project. It receives funding from the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) and the ERDF.
The project focuses on studying the effects of using recycled material to manufacture parts for the interior and exterior of vehicles. The aim is to establish and develop technologies that make it possible to comply with vehicle interior air quality (VIAQ) requirements while maintaining the surface properties established by manufacturers.
Analyzed in Terms of Volatile and Semi-volatile Compounds
As explained by Sergio Mayor Aroca, a researcher at the Automotive and Transportation Laboratory at AIMPLAS, “
Improving the quality of recycled materials from cars is key to using them more in the sector. SURFTOP is part of a circular economy strategy because it focuses on obtaining recycled raw materials from automotive industry waste for the manufacture of new parts that will be analyzed in terms of volatile and semi-volatile compounds, as well as surface properties, in order to comply with the requirements established by the automotive industry for parts designed for interior and exterior use.”
The surface properties of plastics refer to the material’s surface characteristics, which can affect its appearance (gloss, color, roughness), bonding capacity (especially for parts that will be painted) and resistance to wear, impact, scratching and chemical agents. Furthermore, inside the vehicle, it is necessary to guarantee low emissions of volatile organic compounds and odors from recycled plastic materials to comply with the requirements of manufacturers.
This project also involves Prisma Soporte Industrial, a company that handles injection molding and painting of automotive parts, and which will help validate the process and functionality of the recycled materials so they comply with the quality and emission requirements of the final parts and will also help transfer the results. The recycling company GBP Metal Group will provide post-consumer recycled materials from specific car parts.
Source: AIMPLAS
