Ford uses SABIC's resins for its cars' plastic fenders

Ford has used SABIC Innovative Plastics' Noryl GTX* resins to mould the plastic fenders of its new car model - Ford Kuga. This resin was selected to replace steel in the Ford Kuga for a number of reasons.

First, the resin can withstand the high temperatures required during the painting process, enabling Ford to utilise its normal on-line body painting process without special handling, and ensuring a perfect colour match with the rest of the car's body. Noryl GTX resin is also conductive, allowing high paint-transfer efficiency during the painting process and avoiding the added cost of pre-painting with a conductive primer. Further, the use of thermoplastics significantly expands design options versus stamped sheet metal.

Noryl GTX blends polyamide (PA) and modified polyphenylene ether (PPE) polymer technologies, combining the dimensional stability, low-water absorption, and heat resistance of PPE with the chemical resistance and flow of PA. The result is an extremely chemically resistant material with the stiffness, impact resistance, and heat performance required for on-line painting.