At the renowned North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), BASF showcased how its chemical products are helping to drive automotive sustainability and innovation.
BASF works closely with car designers, engineers, collision repair centers and OE manufacturers to apply its innovative product ideas in developing lighter, safer, colorful and more energy-efficient cars with unparalleled motoring comfort.
In alignment with the company's "We create chemistry" strategy, BASF is continuing to focus on sustainable development, the future of mobility and energy efficiency to help play a role in conserving resources and improving quality of life.
"The North American International Auto Show provides BASF with a great opportunity to showcase our innovations that will help automakers differentiate their vehicles and at the same time make the vehicles more sustainable and energy-efficient," said Beate Ehle, president of market and business development, BASF North America.
Key technology and innovative product highlights at BASF's 4,500 square-foot show suite include:
• BASF's automotive coatings portfolio, which includes OEM coatings and automotive refinish coatings to the collision repair/refinish industries. BASF's modern paint processes combined with its special effect pigments and technologies result in a full-breadth of color solutions and development capabilities.
• A collection of BASF Polyurethane Solutions-which can be found in countless automotive applications and components-ranging from lightweight components for the car body, instrument panels, foam seating, center consoles, headrests and load floors, to soft touch Elastoskin on the door panel skins, Cellasto Microcellular Elastomer to improve NVH, and Elastollan Thermoplastic Polyurethanes in door handles.
• The world's first full plastic wheel concept that shows high potential for mass production, made from BASF's impact-resistant specialty polyamide Ultramid Structure. The wheel is more than 30 per cent lighter than a standard production aluminum wheel and significantly contributes to vehicle weight reduction.
• The official North American launch of the Ultramid ENDURE line of plastics, which is a highly heat-resistant family of products that are suitable for replacing metal in automotive engines, helping to reduce weight and cost.
• The company's material-and-weight-saving thermoplastic seat back frame, developed in conjunction with Faurecia, which integrates the seat frame and back panel into one structure that enables the reduction of foam and simplifies the trimming process.
• BASF's ULTRASIM, a CAE tool that helps automotive customers create virtual product prototypes and optimized (multi-material) designs that result in finished mass-produced components with marked weight and cost improvements.
• The company's HED cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIB), which can offer higher energy density, safety and efficiency and help meet the evolving requirements of batteries in automotive drivetrains. In addition, BASF offers tailor-made electrolytes to the LIB industry.
• A comprehensive toolkit of innovative catalyst technologies to enable automotive OEMs to cost-effectively meet ever tightening emission regulations, such as LEV III, and help provide clean air for all.