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Automotive Exterior Panels - 2000

27 April 2000

Automotive Exterior Panels - 2000

    MT. OLIVE, N.J., April 26 Which exterior panel materials
offer the best balance of performance and cost?  Which applications will be
moving from steel to plastic in the next few years?  What are the latest
trends and forecasts for in-mold coatings?  The new study by BRG Townsend,
Inc., Automotive Exterior Panels - 2000, scheduled for publication by the end
of the third quarter, 2000, answers such questions concerning exterior panels,
from hoods and fenders to pickup truck boxes and much more.  Each component is
being assessed according to trends in material selection, fabrication
processes, system economics, and regional market opportunities.
    The study is exploring the latest trends in the development and
modification of plastics for exterior panels.  One promising trend has been
the development of thermoplastic olefin-based nanocomposites.  In olefins,
nanocomposites can reduce weight while improving stiffness, as well as
improving thermal expansion, which traditionally has been a problem for
plastic body panels.
    Considerable effort has been put into developing in-mold coatings that are
able to meet the strict OEM requirements for gloss and scratch resistance.
There have been a number of recent developments helping plastics meet these
strict requirements.  Another focus of ongoing research is the use of carbon
nanofiber materials to create conductive polymers.  Conductivity is increased
sufficiently by this process to allow electrostatic painting.  This allows
plastic exterior panels to be painted at a much lower cost than would
otherwise be possible without degrading strength or surface finish.
    Among the major new applications for plastics that will be covered in the
study is in the construction of pickup truck boxes.  The use of plastic
improves durability and dent resistance while reducing maintenance costs.
General Motors will be using a mica-filled polyurea for the box on the MY 2001
Chevy Silverado 1500 Series while Ford will produce an SMC bed for its
Explorer SportTrac.