A German premium car manufacturer turned to Ineos Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, for customer-specific colored loudspeaker grills. Due to its high impact strength and good acoustic dampening, the Terblend N NM-21EF was identified as material of choice for the high-class loudspeaker grills."Customer demands in the automotive industry continue to increase constantly, especially with regards to interiors. Nowadays, more and more speakers with exclusive hi-fi and sound are incorporated in premium cars. All of these require resistance to climate change, very low inflammability and they have to be perfectly integrated to prevent any noise when driving fast," said Pierre Juan, Vice President Global Automotive. "Our Terblend N is especially suitable for customers looking for a matte surface finish that does not require painting, and is therefore a cost-effective solution for automotive interiors in any color."
Since there is a demand for a high aesthetic standard in terms of the grills' surface, high flowability is required to guarantee a homogeneous color image. If flowability is low, the slightest irregularities and various gloss differences may be visible and this does not meet the high-class standard that is required. Additionally, due to the fact that this highly detailed and permeable surface cannot be painted, the Terblend N NM-21EF is particularly suitable for this interior application because of its matte surface, which already looks painted after processing.
The Terblend N product line is comprised of blends of ABS with polyamide. It combines excellent impact strength and chemical resistance with high melt flow and good acoustic dampening, making it an ideal styrenic for automotive original equipment manufacturers looking for a matte finish and coloring capabilities in applications, such as loudspeaker grills and column covers.
Due to their high surface polarity, Terblend N grades are ideal for partially decorated parts which are processed via hot stamp decoration or in-mold coating. Furthermore, partially glossy and partially matt surfaces can be easily combined. In addition, Terblend N grades exhibit excellent adhesion to polyurethane (PU) while also delivering high impact strength and good processability, such as for head rests. Ineso Styrolution also provides a grade with a higher degree of glass fiber reinforcement (Terblend N NG-02EF). It is used for hidden structural parts like overhead carrier applications due to its high stiffness, good dimensional stability and reduced thermal coefficient of expansion.
Not only the automotive industry continues to turn to innovative styrenic materials to advance innovation and performance as it relates to quality and design. Terblend is a trusted material with excellent property retention also used, for instance, in the household industry.
