Lansing, Michigan, April 30, 2003 - A Hostacom advanced thermoplastic TPO resin from Basell is being used to produce the instrument panel and console for the 2003 MAZDA 6 sports sedan. The Basell material addresses multiple instrument panel challenges for Intertec Systems, a joint venture of Johnson Controls, Inc. and Inoac Corporation that supplies the instrument panel components to Mazda from its Bardstown, Kentucky facility. The instrument panels are assembled in Mazda’s AutoAlliance production facility in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Hostacom resin is used to produce the Mazda instrument panel retainer. This totally polyolefinic system incorporates the foam and skin, paint and mold-in-color requirements of the application while also meeting recyclability, scratch & mar resistance, assembly, and mass targets. The Basell solution achieves cost and performance improvements over previously used engineering thermoplastics.
"The mold-in-color capability of Hostacom resin is a great complement to our HPI process, which produces highly-crafted instrument panels with soft and hard areas on the same IP retainer," said Andy Dargavell, lead IP engineer from Intertec Systems.
Another Hostacom grade is used to produce the glove box, knee bolster, cluster hood and column shroud instrument panel components for the MAZDA 6. These components are mold-in-color and are produced by a tier-two supplier, Summit Polymers. The mold-in-color floor console assembly is produced by Pine River, a tier two supplier located in St. Clair, Michigan.
The difference between the two Hostacom resins used lies in the technology - in the retainer, a unique Hostacom grade was used to enhance the surface energy required for the flame treatment process to promote foam and paint adhesion. The use of this resin also enabled selected areas on the instrument panel surface to be soft. Basell’s Hostacom resin also delivered other characteristics including economical processing, reduced mass, uniformity in gloss and color stability.
"Basell’s advanced polyolefin approach for the retainer delivers performance for the foam and skin, paint and mold-in-color operations with one material," said Jeff Leone, senior vice president, automotive. "Traditional engineering thermoplastic instrument panel materials have not been able to be mold-in-color, whereas the Hostacom resin delivers for all three functions. An added benefit is that aesthetics, performance and functionality are enhanced, not sacrificed, while also meeting the cost requirements established by Intertec and Mazda."
Basell, with annual revenues of $5.9 billion, develops, produces and markets polypropylene, polyethylene, advanced polyolefin materials and polyolefin catalysts, and also develops and licenses polyolefin processes. Basell's corporate centre is located in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; the company has regional offices in Elkton, Maryland, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Mainz, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Hong Kong, as well as manufacturing facilities and sales offices in the major markets around the globe. Basell’s Internet address is www.basell.com.
Hostacom is a trademark owned or used by Basell.
For more information, please contact Michelle Talmo at Basell Communications: michelle.talmo@basell.com; phone: +1 410 996 1366.
