Aug 3 2005
At the auto industry's annual Management Briefing Seminars, OC™ Automotive is unveiling AcoustiMax™ substrate, a new light-weight glass-mat composite material for vehicle interiors that provides improved structural and acoustical properties in applications such as headliners, trunk liners, door modules, seat backs and package trays. Highlights of the product's attributes compared to competing materials include:
- Up to a 45 percent improvement in isotropic properties - strength in all directions-which improves overall structural integrity. This is key in reducing waste in the headliner construction and installation process as it often requires good part integrity in all directions as the part is fitted into the vehicle.
- Up to a 20 percent better absorptive sound ability, which improves interior acoustics, an essential consideration in the face of a continuing increase in the use of electronics in cars such as DVD players.
- Excellent lofting characteristics, or ability to increase thickness as much as 100 percent through pre-heating/cold molding process - allowing the material to vary in thickness and still be molded in one process. This attribute is significant in today's marketplace, given that headliners are becoming more and more complex and must be able to hold a variety of audiovisual and other electronics equipment requiring different thicknesses/strengths throughout a single headliner.
AcoustiMax substrate is available in 800 to 1600 grams per square meter capability, in core sheet thicknesses from 8 to 16 millimeter, and available in various specified widths, and with or without surface film/scrim to match application requirements.
"AcoustiMax substrate is the latest example of our commitment to listen to what our customers are asking for, and deliver a product that provides a technologically superior solution to help them advance the products they bring to market," said Gary Nieman, vice president of OC Automotive. "The ability of AcoustiMax to enhance performance and reduce vehicle weight, part numbers and overall system costs, highlights how and why composites are continuing to transform the automotive industry."c