Global chemicals company Huntsman has launched a visco-elastic foam with a vegetable oil content of up to 20% for moulded acoustic components in the car industry, Plastics Today wrote.
According to the company’s website, the new Acoustiflex VEF BIO product comprises a mix of a polyol blend with methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and additives.
It can reduce the carbon footprint of carpet underlay in cars by up to 25% compared to existing Huntsman systems for this application, according to the 4 November Plastics Today report. The technology could also be used for dash and wheel arch insulation.
The bio-based content in the Acoustiflex VEF BIO system has no impact on the acoustic or mechanical characteristics required by manufacturers, according to Huntsman.
“Previously, there was a frustration that incorporating bio-based content into a polyurethane (PU) foam system would have a detrimental impact on performance, specifically on emission and odour levels,” Irina Bolshakova, global marketing lead for automotive polyurethanes at Huntsman, was quoted as saying.
According to the company’s website, the lightweight semi-rigid foam product can be used to create components with complex geometric shapes and sharp angles.
