Huntsman Introduces Bio-Based Polyurethane Foam for Automotive Acoustic Applications
Huntsman announced the launch of the ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system – a pioneering bio-based viscoelastic polyurethane foam technology for molded acoustic applications in the automotive industry that contains up to 20% bio-based ingredients derived from vegetable oils.
This innovation reduces the carbon footprint of automotive carpet back foam by up to 25 percent compared to existing Huntsman systems for this application. The technology can also be used for instrument panel and wheel arch sound insulation.
The ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system addresses the growing demand for material technologies that can help automakers reduce their carbon footprints but still deliver high performance. Through careful formulation, Huntsman has integrated bio-based ingredients into its ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system without compromising any acoustic or mechanical properties that auto parts manufacturers and OEMs seek to achieve.
Irina Bolshakova, Huntsman Automotive-Polyurethanes Global Marketing Director, explained: “Previously, the addition of bio-based ingredients to polyurethane foam systems has been frustratingly detrimental to performance, especially emissions and odor levels. Our ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system’s The development proved that this is not the case."
In terms of acoustic performance, analytical experiments show that Huntsman's conventional VEF system can outperform standard high resilience (HR) foams at lower frequencies (<500Hz).
The same goes for the ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system - achieving the same noise reduction capabilities.
In developing the ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system, Huntsman continued to develop polyurethane foams with zero amines, zero plasticizers and very low aldehyde emissions. Therefore, the system is both low emission and low odor.
The ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system remains lightweight. Huntsman has worked hard to ensure the weight of the material is not compromised while introducing bio-based ingredients into its VEF system.
Huntsman's automotive team also ensured that there were no associated machining defects. The ACOUSTIFLEX VEF BIO system can still be used to quickly create assemblies with complex geometries and sharp angles, with high productivity and demold times as low as 80 seconds, depending on part design.
