Lightweight Molded Foam Door Trim with High Impact Resistance
Realizing door trims with high impact resistance and lower weight
Toyota Boshoku is engaged in development to both substantially reduce weight and increase impact resistance of door trims, with the ultimate aim of achieving carbon neutrality.
Using our core technology of foam injection molding, we are focusing equally on both rigidity and reduced weight. Issues of reduced impact resistance arise, though, if high-expansion foam is used for greater weight reductions.
However, use of our original High Impact Polymer Resin as an impact modifier enabled development of door trims with an approximately 20% weight reduction compared with conventional materials, while maintaining a high level of impact resistance.
Materials Used in Lightweight Molded Foam Door Trim with High Impact Resistance
Main car models making use of lightweight molded foam door trim with high impact resistance
Lightweight Molded Foam Door Trim with High Impact Resistance are found in the 2018 Toyota Crown
Joint Development
Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc
High Impact Polymer Resin
High Impact Polymer Resin is a Toyota Boshoku-developed resin material featuring the world’s top level of impact resistance. By controlling dispersion of PA11 (Polyamide) and PP (polypropylene) at the nanometer level, it forms a unique salami structure.
Using High Impact Polymer Resin as an impact modifier, and performing high-expansion foam molding enables an
approximately 20% weight reduction compared with conventional door trim materials, from 1.8kg/m2 to 1.5kg/m2.
Nanostructure of High Impact Polymer Resin (Salami Structure)
Improved impact resistance of high impact polymer resin
High impact polymer resin impact modification results, compared to PP
Toyota Boshoku’s Strengths
While Toyota Boshoku is a parts manufacturer, we also engage in in-house development of materials. We are extremely proud of our materials development capabilities, which can respond adeptly to the parts needs of our customers thanks to our long experience both handling and developing materials.
The development of Toyota Boshoku’s Lightweight Molded Foam Door Trim with High Impact Resistance - which touts both weight reduction and high-level impact resistance - was made possible by the marrying of Toyota Boshoku’s original materials with years of accumulated expertise in our core technology of foam injection molding.
Helping Change the World
Widespread adoption of our Lightweight Molded Foam Door Trim with High Impact Resistance can contribute to carbon neutrality in the form of reductions in CO2 emissions as a result of lower fuel consumption from reduced weight.
Main awards received
- 2020 The Society of Polymer Science, Japan [The Award of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (Field of Technology)]
- 2020 (USA) Automotive News [PACE Awards (Finalist)]
- 2019 (USA) R&D World Magazine [R&D 100 Awards (Winner)]
- 2019 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan [The Technological Development Award]