As a strong partner for the commercial vehicle industry, Benecke-Kaliko, a ContiTech company, will be presenting ultra-scratch-resistant surface materials for commercial vehicle interiors at IAA 2016. The product family, which is being sold under the name Xpreshn, is more scratch-resistant than conventional TPO products. Other items in the product range to make an appearance at the world’s leading trade fair are Decoject, the low-cost and scratch-resistant alternative solution to painted injection-molded parts, and the Acella product family, a trim and upholstery material with especially good wear properties.
Surface materials in commercial vehicles should satisfy all three of the following core requirements: they need to be functional and withstand what are often tough conditions in day-to-day operations, but on the other hand they should also deliver on driving comfort. These requirements are fulfilled down to the precise details by Xpreshn Protect surface material from Benecke-Kaliko – one of the world’s leading manufacturers of surfaces in automotive interiors. The highly scratch-resistant product makes no concessions in the way it looks and feels. After all, hardness is not the crucial factor when it comes to scratch resistance, but the material’s extreme elasticity. With the same soft haptics, Xpreshn Protect offers twice the scratch resistance of tried-and-tested Xpreshn and Xpreshn HD products. This increases customer satisfaction and reduces material waste due to surface damage as early as in the vehicle production stage. The innovative product can easily handle sharp objects. To all intents and purposes, this makes scratches a thing of the past and keeps the driver’s cab looking good for longer. Instrument panels, door panels, and consoles – but also seat backs and cluster hoods – can likewise be covered with this material.
Tried-and-tested and cost-effective: Decoject – the alternative to painted injection-molded parts
The second material set to be showcased at IAA is Decoject. This material is scratch-resistant and, compared with painted injection-molded parts, is a cost-efficient alternative that offers a real upgrade to the interior. Changing decor is very easy, with plenty of variety and varied designs available. And with the foils, which are a mere 0.2 to 0.5 mm thin, the matter of changing colors is nowhere near the cumbersome process it is with an injection-molded surface, where, for every switch, the molding line first has to be completely emptied of material in the one color and then run in with material in the new color. With the new thin foil, the component can be continuously produced with the one back injection material, even when the surface design is changed. This saves time and means less scrap. The gloss level is adjusted with the foil to match the interior. There are practically no limits when it comes to decorative prints and effect coatings.
In addition, the Acella trim and upholstery material, available in a two-color design, is also on display at the booth, namely the low-cost, entry-level Acella Go and Acella Protect, which features superior material tear strength even at extremely low temperatures and is therefore particularly suitable for interior areas subject to a high degree of wear.
