Mar 22 2010
A range of materials technologies that reduce weight, reduce manufacturing costs and improve crash performance are now available with local support for Russian and CIS vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers. Opened by JSP, the sole global producer of ARPRO, a new Moscow-based applications support office will make the considerable capabilities of the company's global network of technical centres available to customers in the region.
The new ARPRO office in Moscow will help customers in Russia and other CIS countries benefit from innovative applications of the latest lightweight materials. ARPRO is an effective way of reducing rear seats’ mass
The use of ARPRO will increase across a growing range of applications, predicts JSP President and Chief Executive Officer (Europe), Paul Compton. "Vehicle manufacturers are looking for new ways to simplify manufacturing processes and meet tough environmental targets," he says. "Most vehicles already contain ARPRO and some use as much as 15kg in applications as diverse as seating, accoustic insulation, impact protection and interior trim components. With our strong support for applications innovation, we see this increasing rapidly."
Russia and CIS regional sales manager Alexey Leibin adds that reducing weight is one of the key strategies for reducing emissions and fuel consumption. "But with conventional technologies, this can be expensive in materials and in manufacturing capital and process costs," he says. "Our new Moscow office will give the automotive industry here in the CIS access to materials technologies and design support expertise that will help them address these challenges. Key areas where we will be working closely with our customers include refinement, occupant protection, pedestrian protection, comfort, weight / CO2 reduction, manufacturing cost reduction and recyclability."
ARPRO materials, based on closed-cell expanded polypropylene, are available in a wide range of densities and surface finishes. They are chemically inert and extremely light weight with high structural strength and good energy absorption and resilience. Recent JSP innovations include a new grade with a 15 percent recycled content without any compromise in cost or performance, and a new porous grade that reduces the cost and packaging space required for accoustic damping. All ARPRO materials are 100 percent recyclable and tooling costs can be substantially lower than those requried for conventional materials.
An example of the benefits of using ARPRO is seat cores, where the material allows the integration of an antisubmarining ramp so that the traditional metal component can be eliminated. "Just this one application can reduce vehicle weight by 10kg, which would be hard to find in other areas," says Compton. "This technology is already used by Volvo in its luxurious XC60 and has just entered production with Citroën in the new C3."
"We already have close relationships with many companies in Russia and look forward to developing our relationships with these and with other manufacturers and suppliers who can benefit from the use of ARPRO," concludes Compton.