Covestro has announced it has devised a study for an innovative front module that offers solutions for many requirements of the automotive industry.
The company will present the concept simultaneously at the Fakuma trade fair in Friedrichshafen and the International Suppliers Fair (IZB) for the automotive industry in Wolfsburg from October 16, 2018.
Covestro says the classic radiator grille will be obsolete and the front section of future automobiles will be characterised by three-dimensional, jointless and glass-like surfaces.
Covestro
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The front section can already be designed in a variety of decorated or semi-transparent films.
This combination of polycarbonate resin and films and the coating creates a light, multifunctional part with the desired properties for use in car exterior.
The black panel technology, is a variant in which a special Makrofol polycarbonate film with a light source behind it is illuminated and when switched off, passers-by see only a mat, black surface.
Depending on customer requirements, the structure of the front module prototype consists of a film printed with a colourful motif, for example the company logo.
Using film insert moulding technology (FIM), this composite is then over-moulded with transparent Makrolon AG polycarbonate and a transparent, scratch-resistant silicone hard-coating is also applied as the outermost layer.
It also enables a glass-like design with embedded multidimensional structures, which can be amplified by light functions.
To enable the integration of further functions, for example embedding heating wires for de-icing, the structure can be made permeable to radar and LiDAR radiation.