[China Packaging Network News] In our lives, plastic products are everywhere. But did you think that one day, plastic can replace metal? At present, Lanxess produces a plastic that can be compared with the hardness of steel. It is used in the air filter of Mercedes-Benz, which greatly saves the cost. Maybe soon. In the future, the price of Mercedes-Benz cars will also drop!
Lanxess has synthesized a series of high-glass-reinforced polyamides (nylons) to replace metals in automotive air filter carriers. The material is expected to be applied to Mercedes-Benz auto parts in early 2017.
These structural parts are made of Durethan AKV 50 H2.0 (Nylon 66 with 50 wt% glass fiber). At present, this material has been used for the first time in Mercedes-Benz's air filtration systems as a plastic carrier for load-bearing structural elements.
Jürgen Horstmann, Account Manager of Lanxess, stated: “Compared with the previous steel structural parts, this structural material greatly reduces the cost while satisfying high dynamic strength. In addition, this structural part is lighter in weight and overall reduced. 2.9 kg, accounting for more than 50% of the total weight."
The total weight of the air filter with the mudguard installed below it is 7.9 kg. In actual operation, the weight of the assembly may increase due to dust in the air filter and dirt on parts in the wheel arch. Not only do the two filter carriers need to carry the weight of the assembly, but they also have to carry the high dynamic forces of exposed components, such as the vibrations caused by jogging on construction sites. Therefore, the plastic carrier must be designed to meet the same stiffness as the original steel carrier.
Lanxess stated that compared with steel carriers, plastic carriers directly fix the filter on the carrier, avoiding the use of bushings, thus saving a lot of cost.
