Mazda develops resin for lighter bumpers, reduced energy use
10.02.2012
Mazda has developed a new resin material which it says can be used to make vehicle parts that are as rigid as those made from conventional resin but are significantly lighter.
Mazda said that parts manufactured with this material, which it developed in conjunction with Japan Polypropylene Corporation, are thinner and therefore substantially lighter: when the material is used for both front and rear bumpers, it contributes to weight reduction of around 20pc. It said bumper weight has a major impact on fuel economy and driving performance
The company said that in the bumper production process, this reduced thickness allows for a shorter cooling period for moulding, and by using computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology, the fluidity of the resin material has also been optimised. As a result, bumper moulding time has been halved from 60 to 30 seconds, leading to major reductions in the amount of energy consumed in the production process.
Mazda said it plans to adopt the lightest bumpers in the class using this resin material in the all-new Mazda CX-5 SUV to go on sale this spring, as well as other upcoming new models.
To come up with the material, Mazda blended two components found in polypropylene and rubber that have different properties, and succeeded in distributing them in a double-layer structure in line with the required function for the surface and the inside of the base bumper material. The company said that as a result, “the surface has excellent paint film adhesion and the inner section retains high rigidity and impact absorption, with reduced thickness”.