Covestro Partners with Designer Miika Heikkinen to Develop a Low VOC Automotive Door Panel Concept
Together with designer Miika Heikkinen, Covestro's Coatings & Adhesives and Engineering Plastics segments have developed a door panel concept with new material solutions. According to the company, the prototype contains a waterborne coating with INSQIN® technology in combination with an adhesive based on a Dispercoll® U dispersion – two waterborne polyurethane (PU) solutions with low levels of volatile organic components (VOCs). Specially developed to provide cost-effective and sustainable applications for future automotive interior requirements, they provide translucent appearance, coating adhesion and deep color effects in door panels.
Covestro reports that as a vegan solution, the lower CO2 emissions and reduced energy consumption of INSQIN® can reduce the overall CO2 footprint of plastics by up to 45 percent while providing virtually odor-free indoor air quality. The carbon footprint can be further improved by using an Impranil® CQ DLU PU dispersion, which consists of approximately 35 percent renewable carbon by weight according to the company. In addition, Covestro reports that the application also includes a partially biobased water-based soft-touch coating with up to 33 percent renewable carbon in the final formulation.
Source: Covestro