The decision to buy a car is not just a question of technology and performance, but also a matter of emotions. You want to ride in style and comfort, feel good and most importantly safe in your new car. For decades, the exterior has been the crucial factor when deciding to buy a car, but this "love at first sight" is now increasingly as much about the vehicle's interior aesthetics too. Here, one of the most important roles is played by the first thing that catches the eye: the dashboard. The modern dashboard must fulfil numerous needs. Not only does it have to hold the instruments, technology and passenger airbags in place, at the same time it provides a safety element that must remain stable in case of a crash. In addition, the dashboard must be visually appealing, pleasant to touch and something that enhances the driving and passenger experience.
Since the 1960s, due to its versatility and ease of mass production, plastic has been one of the most widely used materials in car interiors. However, the plastic parts in today’s car interiors have nothing in common with the look and feel of the plastics of the past. Plastic coatings ensure the high-quality look for the vehicle and satisfy the highest demands relating to design and functionality of the buyers. To give plastic surfaces a long lasting, high-quality appearance, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to the automotive industry often prefer to coat the plastic with a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.
The production of high-performance, isophorone-based crosslinking technologies is the core competence of Evonik's Crosslinkers business line. This includes IPDI- based crosslinkers from the VESTANAT® range, a preferred raw material for the synthesis of light stable and weather-resistant polyurethanes like elastomers.
Elastomers based on VESTANAT® IPDI are characterized by excellent elasticity and haptics. This is particularly important for automotive dashboard coatings, where an attractive appearance is required in addition to resistance and UV stability. With the addition of VESTANAT® IPDI, plastic coatings for car interiors become scratch-resistant, durable and resistant to environmental factors like fading caused by sunlight and heat, so that the plastic parts remain looking as fresh as they did when they first come off the factory production line.
Evonik Crosslinkers – Creating Bonds That Last
Evonik Crosslinkers combines expertise in isophorone chemistry and epoxy curing agent technology to support customers worldwide in coatings, adhesives, civil engineering, high-performance elastomers, and composites.
Our isophorone portfolio spans the entire value chain, including specialty amines, isocyanates, and aliphatic monomers. Backed by integrated production and deep application knowledge, these solutions help customers achieve durability, chemical resistance, and weatherability in demanding applications.
Creating bonds that last, both in materials and in customer relationships, is the principle that guides our innovation, production, and technical support.
VESTANAT® IPDI ensures that plastic coatings for car interiors are scratch-resistant, durable and just beautiful.
