Robert Eller Associates LLC CONSULTANTS TO THE PLASTICS AND RUBBER INDUSTRIES

Transcription

1 MARKET ECONOMIC TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Management DECISIONS Robert Eller Associates LLC CONSULTANTS TO THE PLASTICS AND RUBBER INDUSTRIES CONNECTED/AUTONOMOUS/ELECTRIC VEHICLES DRIVING NEW MATERIALS AND FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR AUTOMOTIVE INTERIORS PRESENTED BY: Robert Eller Robert Eller Associates LLC Phone: Web Site: PRESENTED AT: WARDS AUTO INTERIORS CONFERENCE 2018 DETROIT, MI MAY 30, 2018 Auto interiors 2018/auto interiors present

2 OUTLINE Examine role of autonomous/semi-autonomous vehicles in driving interior plastics materials innovation and new value-add opportunities Auto interiors as incubator, adapting technology from other sectors Examine auto interior as: - smart surface - visual display surface - lighting/sound source - signal/command source Implications/examples for plastic materials and fabrication technology Directing electrons and atoms as new workhorses to work for us 2

3 INTERIORS TECHNOLOGY EVOLUTION: ADDING VALUE V A L U E LEGACY MATERIALS/ PROCESSES MINOR IMPROVEMENTS REDUCE ASSEMBLY STEPS Soft touch Scratch resistant In-mold decoration GF/PP PP, TPO, PC/ABS PP foams PU foam PET fibers Mineral fillers Wood fibers/flour TIME SMART MATERIALS Folding technology Back injection Multi-shot Core back Blow molding New smart functions - send/receive - sense - display - lighting - conductives New materials - functional fillers - piezoelectrics - graphenes 3

4 NEW FUNCTIONS MAT LS/PROCESS INTERIORS OPPORTUNITIES SOURCE: ROBERT ELLER ASSOCIATES LLC, 2018 Acoustics Sound source Windows /transparent sections in the surface Shielding Lighting Image projection Sensing/smart surfaces Smart touch Damping Conduction Signaling/data transmission Piezoelectric signal 4

5 CONNECTED/AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES LARGER DISPLAYS, LIGHTING, SMART FUNCTIONS,RECONFIGURED INTERIOR Example displays in cockpit: - TPUs, PC films - Note: curved surfaces - Image: courtesy of Covestro - Photo: Robert Grace, reproduced with permission Door trim lighting: Vehicle: VW I.D. Crozz concept crossover Photo: Robert Grace, reproduced with permission SOURCE: ROBERT ELLER ASSOCIATES LLC,

6 EXAMPLE CONCEPT ELECTRIC SUV (I.D. CROZZ 2020) SOURCE: VW 6

7 FOAMING Traditional approach to lightweighting(many improvements: surface, cell size, processing technology) Broad range of fabrication processes(primarily injection, extrusion) Competes with other technologies to facilitate autonomous/semiautonomous/ev evolution PP foams challenging PU foams in interior panel applications Variety of new smart foam functions: - Pressure sensing(see slide 10) - Conductives - Sensing/sending 7

8 GRAPHENE/2D CRYSTALS: FASTER DATA SIGNALS - Rapid detection of light necessary for optical communication - Two dimensional crystal combined with graphene can detect optical pulses with fast response times Note: Importance of light detection, transparency and speed SKETCH: ICFO INSTITUTE OF PHOTONIC SCIENCES 8

9 EXAMPLE PATH TO AUTO INTERIOR LIGHTING PHOTOLUMINESCENCE ELECTRIC CURRENT (CYCLOPARAPHENYLENE) NANO RINGS WHITE (OR OTHER COLOR LIGHT) EMISSION Note: - Another example of the role of carbon-based ingredients (CNTs, Graphene) in auto interiors - Color of photoluminescence can be varied - Role for TPEs/TPOs in interiors (skins?, other components?) - Potential role for image projection (displays), sensing, signaling, smart surfaces, etc. SKETCH: NAGOYA UNIVERSITY; COMMENTS: ROBERT ELLER ASSOCIATES LLC,

10 COMBINING THE PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT WITH FOAM SMART FOAMS SENSING DEVICE FOAM MATRIX NANO FILLER CAPABLE OF GENERATING PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT VIA INTERACTION WITH FOAM MATRIX SOURCE: XONANO SMART FOAM; ROBERT ELLER ASSOCIATES LLC,

11 Impact Sensing SMART FOAM CAPABILITIES Pressure Sensing Measure force or pressure Large-sensing area Increased thermal conductivity Example Interior Applications: Heat wicking seat Pressure sensitive seat Vibration sensing SOURCE: XONANO SMART FOAM

12 INJECTION MOLDED INTERIOR SKINS - A MATERIAL/PROCESS EVOLUTION FEATURES Injection moldable skin - High melt flow (200MFI) SEBS-based - Kraton TPE technology Low density vs. incumbents Abrasion resistance Cold temperature flexibility Phthalate-free, no crosslinking, low plasticizer content - Very low oil content - No visible weld lines - Consistent matte/gloss BENEFITS Cost savings vs. slush molded PVC Injection-moldable large area/thin crosssection parts Vehicle weight savings No coating required to meet OEM specs Safe airbag deployment Improved: aging, fogging, VOC, and odor performance Able to meet OEM performance specifications without painting to achieve class A surface SOURCE: KRATON,

13 INTERIOR COMPONENTS AS SOUND SYSTEM(VALUE ADD EXAMPLES) PACKAGE TRAY SPEAKER CONCEPT: Components can be part of sound/signal system ENABLING TECHNOLOGY: The transducer TARGET EXAMPLES: Pillar trim, door trim, seat back BENEFITS: Weight savings vs conventional speaker systems QUALITY: Equal to premium sound system PILLAR TRIM SPEAKER CHALLENGES: Controlling BSR, integrating smart technologies EXAMPLE SUPPLIER: Continental SOURCE: ROBERT ELLER ASSOCIATES LLC,

14 SUMMARY Autonomous/semi auto/evs new interior materials/processes and value-add potential Variety of new functions and their capabilities: - Pressure sensing - Conductives - Sensing/smart/image display - Sound system LIDAR requires transparency & optical quality (ETPs, esp. polycarbonate) Smart Foams (growth of piezoelectric sensing) New fabrication processes, (e.g. injection molded thinner parts, skins) 14

15 SUMMARY (Cont d.) Interior plastics evolving from dumb to smart new interior applications driven by vehicle autonomy (full and partial) and EVs Putting the atoms and electrons to work/unlocking materials potential: - new functions - more sustainable solutions - shifting the path to market - supply chain shifts - broader range of display surfaces A choice: Offering lbs of difficult-to-differentiate plastics in standard applications vs functionally differentiated higher value interior 15 components

16 THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND TO MY COLLEAGUE RON PRICE FOR VALUABLE INPUTS MARKET ECONOMIC TECHNICAL ANALYSIS Management DECISIONS Robert Eller Associates LLC CONSULTANTS TO THE PLASTICS AND RUBBER INDUSTRES 16