The LANXESS High Performance Materials business unit has collaborated with BOGE Elastmetall, a global provider of vibration technology and plastic applications for the automotive industry, to the first all-plastic brake pedal for a mass-production battery-electric sports car.
The pedal owes its high mechanical strength and very low weight to a thermoplastic composite design.
Susanne van Kempen, LXS HPM
The structure is made from an insert made from Tepex dynalite, a continuous-fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composite from LANXESS, and several tapes.
Dr Kalus Vonberg, from HPM’s Tepex Automotive Group, said: “The composite structure makes the brake pedal 50 per cent lighter than a comparable steel design. The structural component meets the demanding load requirements thanks to the tailor-made fibre-layer construction of the Tepex insert and additional local tape reinforcement.”
“Extensive automation allows the geometrically complex safety-critical component to be manufactured efficiently and in a way that is suitable for large-scale production.”