Hyundai i-mode concept car
Cooperation with Hyundai
With its sporty-looking contours, the Hyundai “i-mode” concept car is certainly an impressive sight and promises plenty of driving pleasure.
The vehicle combines the advantages of a van with those of a sedan, and is one of the most environmentally friendly vehicles Hyndai ever designed.
Many of its outstanding features have come about as a result of close cooperation between Hyundai and Bayer MaterialScience AG.
For our company it was a special challenge to work on a close-to-production concept car with one of the biggest and fastest growing
international car manufacturers.
“This vehicle provides an impressive demonstration of our latest products and our know-how in innovative
plastics processing.” explains Dr. Klaus Zander, key account manager for Hyundai at Bayer MaterialScience. Helmut Weixner,
head of Engineering Design at Hyundai Motor Europe, accentuated, “We at Hyundai were looking for a partner that understands
the way we think in auto design, and Bayer MaterialScience was certainly the right choice for us.”
Polycarbonate automotive glazing – weight savings and design freedom
The panorama roof, front and rear windscreens and side windows of the “i-mode”
are made from BayVision, the new complete system for automotive glazing based on Makrolon® polycarbonate.
This system makes it possible to design glazing components that weigh significantly less than glass.
At the same time it offers greater design freedom, while functional integration also helps to reduce costs.
Infra-red absorbers that are specially attuned to Makrolon® ensure optimum thermal protection for the interior.
Bodywork topcoat – self-healing and environmentally friendly
The bodywork of the “i-mode” features a new polyurethane-based topcoat. A special feature of this coating is its self-healing capability, as the warmth of the sun causes small scratches to “melt away” and disappear. As a result, the paintwork stays looking like new for longer. With its high polymer and low organic solvent content, the coating also boasts an environmentally friendly formulation.
LED headlamps – polycarbonate trumps PMMA and glass
In the LED headlamps of the “i-mode”, a collimator lens made of
Makrolon® bundles the LED light and aims it precisely at the road. Polycarbonate
has several advantages over glass and PMMA in this application. The fine lens geometries
can be produced more accurately and more cost-effectively by injection molding in polycarbonate
than with processes using glass. It is also lighter than glass and does not need polishing.
Makrolon® is tougher and more heat-resistant than PMMA, and also has a higher refractive index,
which allows the collimator lenses to be made thinner.
Soft-feel coating in the interior – pleasant to the touch
The control elements in the interior of the “i-mode” have a soft,
warm surface that is very pleasant to the touch. This is due to a soft-feel polyurethane coating based
on high-grade coating raw materials from the Bayhydrol® and Bayhydur® ranges.
The coating also has the advantage of being water-based, which makes it environmentally friendly.
The globally active
automotive industry supplier KEIPER GmbH & Co. KG based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, stands for innovative solutions in all areas
of vehicle seating. The company develops and manufactures advanced seat components and structures for international customers from the
automotive industry.
Further examples of automotive innovations that are ready for series production
Because of its prototype status, it was not possible to include in the “i-mode” all the material and processing innovations that Bayer MaterialScience has developed for series production. Here are some of the main ones:
Plastic car roofs – excellent surfaces
A new concept for car roofs is based on Makrofol® polycarbonate film that is back-filled with the polyurethane
foam system Baydur® STR. In addition to greater design freedom, this also yields significant weight
savings compared with metal roofs. Thanks to the film, Class A surfaces are easier to obtain than with
other roof designs based on reinforced thermoplastics or thermosets.
Bodywork parts made from polyurethane – lightweight and coated online
The reinforced polyurethane Bayflex® 180/190 is a lightweight material for
bodywork parts such as fenders and sill panels. Its benefits include online
coatability with plastic-compatible component design and the ability to resist
minor knocks. Moreover, unlike many other bodywork plastics,
this polyurethane yields components with a precise and dimensionally stable fit in warm and humid climates.
Soft-touch films for automotive interiors – brightly colored
Soft-touch surfaces can also be realized in automotive interiors with
new Desmopan® thermoplastic polyurethane films. A special feature is
their lightfastness, which means they can be produced in bright colors.
Injection moldings with a soft feel – new flexible production technology
Direct skinning is a new production technology for the direct application of
decorative polyurethane skins or foams to selected areas of an injection molding
in the closed mold. One of the advantages of the process is that the thickness of
the soft-touch layer and the type of grain can be varied. Color selection is
particularly flexible, because the color can be changed after each shot.
The process is also suitable for large molded parts with complex geometries.
Carpet backing – extremely sound-absorbent
Bayflex® SA and Bayflex® SP are new polyurethane systems
for heavy-layer cladding in carpet backing in cars. Their optimum
sound absorption helps to create pleasant interior acoustics.
Both materials can be combined with Bayfit® flexible polyurethane foam
to further enhance the acoustic properties of the carpeting.
Foam-filling for bodywork cavities – greater safety
The new polyurethane system BaySafe® ST can be used to foam-fill
the cavities of the bodywork frame, such as the side members and the A, B and C nodes.
This reinforces the metal structure and thus increases passive safety. The metal sheets
can also be made thinner, thus reducing vehicle weight.
Ideas and solutions for the car of the future
Bayer MaterialScience is one of the leading global development partners of the international automotive industry and a manufacturer of key polymeric materials for vehicle construction. Numerous innovations in the “i-mode” concept car from Hyundai are testimony to this expertise in automotive technology. They underscore the wealth of know-how in materials and processes that resides in the company’s AutoCreative Team. These innovations open the door to new automotive solutions in design, lightweight construction, functional integration, comfort and safety, as well as in high-quality surface protection for long-term value retention.
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