1 Oct 2008
SABIC Innovative Plastics helps GM’s new Opel Insignia dazzle the auto industry
Bold technologies including Xenoy* HMD resin with nanotechnologies help deliver striking performance and design improvements. The 2009 Insignia, a new mid-sized sedan, is the first vehicle to reflect a new era in style, quality and performance for the Opel brand, which will continue with the upcoming models. Even the classic “Blitz” lightning bolt logo has been redesigned. As part of its overall effort to create a vehicle that exudes bold confidence and the highest quality, parent company General Motors Europe and its tiers selected cutting-edge technologies from SABIC Innovative Plastics, including Xenoy high-modulus ductile (HMD) resin for an innovative fuel filler door; platable Cycoloy* resin for interior door handles and pulls; and Lexan* LS1 polycarbonate (PC) resin for the distinctive headlamps.
Challenge
Setting a New Standard for Bold, Confident Styling
The new Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, which replaces the Vectra, premiered at the 2008 British International Motor Show. The Opel Insignia’s third body variant, the all-new Insignia Sports Tourer, makes its debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The Insignia is the first model to showcase the new and improved look and performance of the product line. General Motors Europe is upscaling the brand with fresh designs, improved quality and higher performance. As a result, in designing the Insignia, every detail was scrutinized and the OEM looked for new materials and technologies to bring an aura of bold confidence to every aspect of the new car.
Specifically, the automaker looked for ways to enhance the aerodynamics of the Insignia. Both the notchback and hatchback feature a flowing, muscular silhouette with a sporty roofline. To avoid any interruption of line in the powerfully sculpted shape for the body, the company wanted to improve the appearance of the fuel filler door, which previously required a seal to compensate tolerances using polyamide materials. The existing resin did not have the desired impact resistance properties.
Another key focus was lighting. As headlamps increase in size, lens materials must deliver higher performance, greater clarity and enable more-demanding designs. The Insignia’s headlamps also required high flow and excellent dimensional stability to successfully execute and maintain their unique lens design.
An additional design challenge was creating interior components that could be chrome-plated to provide beautiful aesthetics with reduced weight and streamlined processing.
Solution
SABIC Innovative Plastics’ Latest Material Technologies
In tune with the new look and performance of the Insignia, General Motors Europe and its tier suppliers turned to SABIC Innovative Plastics for a number of new resin technologies. To improve the appearance of the fuel filler door, Xenoy HMD resin was selected. This material combines high modulus with a very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for enhanced dimensional stability in hot temperatures, in addition to a reduced tendency to absorb moisture, compared to polyamide.
HMD technology yields the advantages of mineral fillers while maintaining similar impact properties as non-filled products; therefore, resulting in an excellent modulus/impact balance. In Xenoy HMD resins, state-of-the-art mineral filler technology works hand in hand with a network of thermoplastic nano-fibrils to achieve this unique property profile, which also includes low CTE values.
By choosing to mold the fuel filler door with Xenoy HMD resin, Insignia designers were able to eliminate the seal and achieve a sleeker, cleaner look without worrying about tolerances.
Xenoy HMD resin with nanotechnology enabled the tier to completely change the look of this part, achieving an unbroken line that enhances the sleek appearance of the Insignia. Thanks to the very low CTE of this material, a compensatory seal is no longer needed. Even in high temperatures, this part won’t expand out of tolerance. This material is a quantum jump ahead for automotive body components.
For the headlamps, Hella – the tier supplier – selected Lexan LS1 resin, a low-viscosity injection-molding grade specially designed for manufacturing complex parts requiring easy flow properties combined with stringent optical requirements. The high optical quality mandated by General Motors Europe resulted in production, coating and assembly steps under semi-clean room conditions at Hella.
Lexan LS1 resin provided high clarity, excellent flowability with a wide processing window, and the dimensional stability that Hella required.
Finally, chrome-platable Cycoloy resin was chosen for the interior door grip handles. This new technology from SABIC Innovative Plastics features optimized grades of Cycoloy polycarbonate /acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin that deliver high quality and high yields from the chrome plating process. These materials provide extremely low stress and superior adhesion to the metal layer. By plating an injection-molded part, the tier was able to avoid the costs and time required for secondary milling and polishing chrome metal parts.
Benefits
Living Up to the New Blitz Insignia with Spine-Tingling Style
The Opel Insignia epitomizes the brand’s new look and encompasses design elements that will be carried over into other models. Reviews have raved that “sculptural artistry meets German precision.”
SABIC Innovative Plastics materials featuring the latest technological breakthroughs contribute to the sleek, sophisticated design and high polish of this new model. These materials enabled Insignia’s designers to create new shapes for the headlamps, eliminate the fuel filler door seal that interrupted the smooth lines of the body, and provide the luxurious gleam of chrome to the interior without the need for secondary operations.
Paola Babka, European OEM platform director, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Automotive said, “SABIC Innovative Plastics is constantly improving and enhancing our materials on all fronts – performance, aesthetics and processability – to give automakers new tools that match their visions for the future. The Insignia is a showcase for futuristic materials that harness nanotechnology and other emerging technologies to surpass traditional approaches. Our collaboration with General Motors Europe and its suppliers has helped launch a stunning new car whose performance and beautiful styling will turn heads.”
Details at:
For further information, contact:
Stefan Keller
Marketing Leader, Automotive
SABIC Innovative Plastics GmbH
T 49 9144 924460
F 49 9144 924461
Stefan.keller@sabic-ip.com
For press information, contact:
Anne Clement
Director, Global Communications
SABIC Innovative Plastics
T 31 164 29 3148
F 31 164 29 3017
Anne.clement@sabic-ip.com
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Oct./2008
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