Asahi Kasei Plastics’ Resin Technology Decreases Weight of Cadillac Sunroof Module

Thermylene line of polypropylene resins from Asahi Kasei Plastics, a global provider of customized resin solutions, has enabled reduction in cost, time and in the design and construction of a sunroof module for the 2010 Cadillac CTS. Inalfa Roof System has built the module and it is the first fully integrated sunroof module in the automotive industry.

The Cadillac module is made from glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (PP), which is used as an alternative to short-glass ASA/PBT and long-glass PP. The use of Thermylene resins has decreased sunroof weight and assembly cost and time. Asahi Kasei Plastics’ resin technology has lead to 47% capital cost savings, 24% component cost savings and 12% weight reduction. The Thermylene line of polypropylene resins offer long-fiber performance attributes combined with the processing, cost and weight benefits of short-fiber resins.

The Cadillac sunroof module has been nominated for the 2010 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Program in the Process, Assembly and Enabling Technologies category. The module has replaced a four-part assembly with a single polypropylene frame made from Thermylene P7-45FG-0790 resin. The material has helped to lower molding cycle time by 15 sec and to decrease module weight. The replacement of a four-part assembly has saved an extra 67 seconds in the cycling time.