Innovative coatings and adhesives for instrument panels and door trims

Together with designer Miika Heikkinen, Covestro's Coatings & Adhesives and Engineering Plastics segments have developed a door panel concept with new material solutions. The prototype contains a waterborne coating with innovative INSQIN® technology in combination with an adhesive based on a Dispercoll® U dispersion – two waterborne polyurethane (PU) solutions with low levels of volatile organic components (VOCs). Specially developed to provide cost-effective and sustainable applications for future automotive interior requirements, they provide translucent appearance, coating adhesion and deep color effects in door panels. As a vegan solution, the lower CO2 emissions and reduced energy consumption of INSQIN® can reduce the overall CO2 footprint of plastics by up to 45 percent while providing virtually odor-free indoor air quality. The carbon footprint can be further improved by using an Impranil® CQ DLU PU dispersion, which consists of approximately 35 percent renewable carbon by weight. In addition, the application also includes a partially biobased water-based soft-touch coating with up to 33 percent renewable carbon in the final formulation.

Lighting and heating integrated into the sunroof

Panoramic sunroofs and moonroofs are very popular in modern vehicles. Covestro, in collaboration with Loomia, has developed a roll-up sunroof shade concept that combines the sun-reflecting properties of Platilon® TPU film during daylight hours with integrated fabric circuits for lighting and heating at night and in cold weather. To help passengers get the most out of the interior, we bonded the textile surface and electronics layer using our thin and flexible Platilon® polyurethane film. It is tough enough to withstand repeated rolling without compromising performance.

Makrolon® and Makrofol® films for smart surfaces

Covestro and TactoTek® have teamed up again to showcase the endless, more sustainable design possibilities of IMSE® technology: Together, they developed demonstrators that showcase functional electronics while integrating control surfaces, computers and displays. The final design consists of a Raspberry Pi computer, an OLED display, all necessary circuitry and electronic components, and inks for coloring and decorating – all embedded in a Makrolon® resin between two layers of Makrofol® film. With this, we are showcasing powerful new material solutions for consumer electronics with a mono-material design where the plastic can be recovered at will and converted into new raw materials.