Mucell process FIM technology: A sustainable shift in automotive lighting

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Hella Distribution GmbH

Institut für Kunststoffverarbeitung (IKV) in Industrie und Handwerk an der Rheinisch-Westf. TH Aachen

HASCO Hasenclever GmbH + Co KG

CUMSA

Renishaw plc

The integration of thermoplastic foam injection moulding presents a promising opportunity for enhancing sustainability in automotive lighting. How manufacturers can reduce component weight, optimise material use and lower the carbon footprint of vehicles.

The thermoplastic foam injection moulding (FIM) process has been a group of interesting processes in thermoplastic processing for years. However, it has not yet been widely used in automotive lighting. The aim of the investigations carried out here is to establish the process and build acceptance on the part of the customer and internally in order to increase the advantages in terms of sustainability. Various tests were carried out in order to assess and minimise the risks associated with use in series products. The spectrum ranges from a 1:1 replacement for components developed for compact injection moulding to a geometrically optimised component that exploits the full potential of the Mucell process. The results show that the application is possible and contributes to more sustainable production.

Sustainability is not only an important factor for the future economic success of a company in the automotive industry. In addition to their own efforts to combat climate change, car manufacturers are putting increasing pressure on their suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of car production and operation in order to achieve carbon neutrality. For the automotive lighting industry, this means using energy-saving lighting, minimising energy consumption during product manufacture, and ultimately reducing the mass of products. The first point has been successfully pursued for years with the use of LED and smart energy management systems. The second point is very diverse and can only be positively influenced with various measures. The last point is very simple, because the lighter a vehicle becomes, the less it consumes, which also leads to considerable CO₂ savings over time with a service life of approx. 200,000 km. FIM can be an important component in achieving this goal, as the process has a number of advantages. Various processes can be used to inject a foamed component. A basic distinction is made here between chemical and physical foaming and there are further differentiations within these two groups [AM11, TW23]. The Mucell process is widely used, because it is one of the first physical foaming processes in thermoplastic processing. The studies presented below were carried out using this process.