 |
|
Transport
Auto Components
If you removed all the components of your car made from styrene-based products,
you would probably no longer be able to drive it. In 1953, composite reinforced
plastics (i.e. fibreglass) were first used in an automotive application
- for the body of the new Corvette sports car. Since then, the use of composites,
unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) and other styrene-based materials in
cars and lorrys (trucks) has steadily increased. Colourfast durability,
the ability to form custom shapes, and lightweight make composites plastics
a natural choice for automotive bodies and components. From entire lorry
(truck) cabs for the "big rigs" to the synthetic rubber tyres
(tires) you ride on, styrenic products have become an integral part of the
automotive industry.
But styrene-based materials are not only used in the automotive industry
for their easy processability or the reduction of the vehicle assembly time
and costs they help achieve… The weight savings achieved through plastics'
use are significant: approximately 100kg (230 pounds) of plastics in a modern
car replace 200 to 300kg (460-680 pounds) of traditional materials. Using
less to do more: the use of plastics in car design helps minimise environmental
impact (among other things through fuel savings) and save resources, cutting
fuel consumption in the average car by 750 litres (170 gallons) over a life
span of 150,000 km (95000 miles)!
|
uses
& benefits
