Low Gloss PC Plastics Used in Automotive Interiors

Automotive OEMs have strict requirements on the appearance of interior and exterior trim parts, not only for harmonious and uniform colors, but also for different gloss requirements for interior trim parts in different locations. Generally, the surface of automobile interior parts requires low gloss, which is helpful to reduce driver's visual fatigue and improve driving safety. For example, high gloss on the dashboard surface can cause glare and reflections on the windshield, which seriously affects driving safety. Generally, the surface gloss of automotive interior parts made of low-gloss PC plastic and its alloys is very high. It is necessary to reduce the surface gloss by spraying or printing processes.
        With the promulgation of the ELV law for automobiles, it is required that thermoplastic materials on automobiles can be directly recycled. Under this development trend, the low gloss and spray-free of ABS and its alloy materials have become its important development direction. Low gloss, spray-free PC and its alloy processed automotive interior parts have low gloss and do not require the use of post-treatment processes such as spraying. It can reduce the production cost of interior trim parts and environmental pollution, which fully complies with the automotive ELV regulations.

The production of spray-free automotive interior parts requires close coordination of molds, materials and injection molding processes.
        ① The gloss of the mold surface directly affects the gloss of the product. The automotive interior parts mold surface is required to have a certain matte degree. Generally, the rougher the mold surface, the lower the gloss of the product surface.
        ② Resin with good fluidity can replicate the mold surface well during the molding process, resulting in a low-gloss surface effect.
        ③ The gloss of the material itself should be low. By selecting the appropriate ABS raw materials, adding inorganic fillers or organic matting agents, the surface of the low-gloss PC plastic and its alloy materials has a special microstructure, which reduces its gloss. Due to the special microstructure of the modified ABS resin and its alloy material, it is easy to form a uniform and soft surface, resulting in a low-gloss "velvet" surface. Low gloss spray-free ABS resin also needs to have good weather resistance and chemical resistance (cleaners, perfumes, etc.) to meet the needs of automotive interiors.

Automotive interior product gloss testing by glossmeter

For testing automotive interior gloss and PC low-gloss materials, you can use the LS192 glossmeter. The clever design of the host and base of the LS192 glossmeter well protects the standard board from contamination. The glossmeter does not need to be calibrated every time it is turned on. At the same time, Linshang LS192 glossmeter has real-time temperature compensation function. No matter what temperature environment, it can guarantee the stability of the instrument, making the measurement results stable and reliable. LS192 glossmeter has automatic measurement function. When you need to test the uniformity of a glossmeter for a piece of material, you only need to place the instrument on the material. The maximum and minimum values of the measured data can be automatically calculated on the display interface. There is no need to connect a computer to view the data and the uniformity of the material gloss is clear at a glance.
        In summary, PC low-gloss materials not only have low gloss, but also have lower cost than spray coating. It will be increasingly used in automotive interior products.