如今，車輛內(nèi)飾材料創(chuàng)新對嗅覺、觸覺、聽覺和視覺等感官元素的關(guān)注，超過了以往任何時候。
中國購車者非常不喜歡某種新車的味道，而中國是全球最大的汽車市場之一。根據(jù)IHS Automotive的預(yù)測，到2020年，中國輕型乘用車的年銷量預(yù)計將達到2900萬美元。因此，消除那些中國用戶痛恨的氣味絕對“有利可圖”。一般而言，這些氣味通常來自特定的增塑劑或粘合劑。
在底特律舉行的2016年沃德汽車內(nèi)飾大會（2016 Wards Auto Interiors Conference）上，國際汽車零部件集團（International Automotive Components，簡稱IAC集團）高級開發(fā)與材料開發(fā)副總裁Rose Ann Ryntz博士在接受《汽車工程》記者采訪時表示，“這種氣味通常與揮發(fā)性有機化合物（VOC）材料有關(guān)，在某種程度上，中國市場將決定未來VOC材料的用量限制。”
大會期間，Ryntz博士在主持一輪材料創(chuàng)新討論時表示，雖然所有OEM廠商不大可能采用完全相同的VOC規(guī)格標準，但有關(guān)有機化工材料使用的問題，已經(jīng)提上了汽車行業(yè)的研究日程。
她說，“我們公司已經(jīng)開始從傳統(tǒng)的VOC搪塑PVC材料轉(zhuǎn)型，正在尋找如何通過聚合型增塑劑，實現(xiàn)PVC或TPE材料的搪塑。我們也在同時研究真空形成的雙層壓板是如何通過粘合劑連接在一起的，因為粘合劑本身就是一種揮發(fā)性有機化合物，帶有一定氣味。”
觸感柔軟的Xpreshn材料
在沃德汽車大會上，3M公司發(fā)布了一系列低VOC粘合膠帶。這些薄膠帶經(jīng)過專門設(shè)計，可用于扶手、中控臺、儀表板、門墊等其他需要連接固定的汽車內(nèi)飾應(yīng)用。
德國汽車供應(yīng)商，ContiTech集團旗下的Benecke-Kaliko公司市場營銷與創(chuàng)新管理全球總監(jiān)Dominik Beckman表示，最近該公司的Xpreshn低VOC表面材料產(chǎn)品線中新增了一款Xpreshn Lux材料，可以用于儀表板、車門飾件等各種駕艙內(nèi)飾中的應(yīng)用，觸感非常柔軟。
Beckman在談及Xpreshn Lux時表示，“這種材料的漆面就像泡沫層一樣，超級柔軟。因此，采用這種材料的整個結(jié)構(gòu)也將非常柔軟，但這絕不僅僅是柔軟的泡沫而已。”
公司的員工聲稱，Xpreshn Lux要比公司另一款用作表面材料的低密度聚烯烴薄膜Tepeo柔軟五倍。據(jù)了解，Xpreshn Lux將率先登陸銷往中國的凱迪拉克XTS車型。Beckman表示，“我們的Xpreshn Lux可以替代成本高昂的皮革材料，為車主提供一種超級奢華的觸感。”
Xpreshn Lux是一種熱成型材料。目前，另一版更加高級的Xpreshn材料已經(jīng)進入研發(fā)的最后階段。Beckman告訴《汽車工程》，這“將是一種可以直接‘剪切-縫紉’的TPO型材料，絕對與真空成型的傳統(tǒng)工藝完全不同。”
降低NVH，提升美感
對車主而言，如果希望通過語音命令，控制導(dǎo)航和信息娛樂等各種車內(nèi)通信系統(tǒng)，那么一個不受道路噪聲、風(fēng)噪與發(fā)動機噪聲影響的安靜車內(nèi)環(huán)境就顯得尤為重要。
塑料行業(yè)咨詢師Robert Eller表示，“在我們嘗試使用以石墨烯等其他碳材作為原材料的聚氨酯泡沫，從兩面提高防火墻的聲學(xué)性能時，獲得了一些值得關(guān)注的發(fā)現(xiàn)。”
菲亞特克萊斯勒汽車美國產(chǎn)品設(shè)計辦公室先進色彩與材料設(shè)計師Megan McConnell表示，“表面”復(fù)合材料可以讓車輛的內(nèi)飾看起來更有吸引力。他表示，“通過在設(shè)計中直接整體采用復(fù)合材料，從而免去表面材料的應(yīng)用，我們可以降低車輛的重量、成本與復(fù)雜性。”
雖然法規(guī)、標準與客戶偏好均會影響材料創(chuàng)新的走向，但成本仍是選擇材料時最為關(guān)鍵的因素。
“如果你看看車輛座椅，你就應(yīng)該知道現(xiàn)在的車輛座椅已經(jīng)沒有多少利潤了。因此，很多一級供應(yīng)商已經(jīng)從這個領(lǐng)域撤出了。”Eller表示，“成本控制常常會阻礙創(chuàng)新，但有時也能促進創(chuàng)新。”
作者：Kami Buchholz
來源：SAE《汽車工程》雜志
翻譯：SAE中國辦公室
That 'new car smell' is forcing interior materials changes
The sensory elements of smell, touch, sound, and sight are influencing material innovations for vehicle interiors more than ever.
Chinese car buyers abhor certain new car smells. And with annual light-duty passenger vehicle sales in China projected to reach 29 million by 2020, according to forecasters IHS Automotive, there are clear financial reasons for ridding car and truck interiors of the objectionable odors associated with certain plasticizers and adhesives.
“That odor kind of goes hand-in-hand with VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) requirements, and China to a certain extent is going to lead how VOC limits are set,” Rose Ann Ryntz, Ph.D., Vice President of Advanced Development & Material Development at International Automotive Components (IAC), said in an interview with Automotive Engineering at the 2016 WardsAuto Interiors Conference in Detroit.
Although it’s unlikely that all OEMs will have the same VOC specification standards, organic chemicals are on the industry’s docket, said Ryntz, moderator of a materials innovation panel at the conference.
“We’re moving away from VOC-laden PVC slush [programs] at IAC, and we’re looking to do more with polymeric plasticizers for slush PVC as well as slush TPE-type [projects]. We’re also looking at how the construction of vacuum formed bi-laminates are put together with adhesives, since the adhesives can be a big source of VOC and odor,” she said.
A soft-touch Xpreshn
3M debuted a new line of low-VOC attachment tapes at the WardsAuto conference. These thin tapes are designed for armrests, center consoles, instrument panels, door bolsters, and other interior applications that require bonding and dimensional stability during lamination.
The recently launched Xpreshn Lux, a low VOC surface material in Benecke-Kaliko’s Xpreshn product line, gives a soft-touch sensation to instrument panels, door trims and other cabin locales, according to Dominik Beckman, the company’s Global Director of Marketing and Innovation Management. Benecke-Kaliko is part of theContiTech group.
“It has an ultra-soft lacquer coating, and the formulation is ultra-soft as is the foam layer. The whole construction is ultra-soft. It’s more than just a soft foam, Beckman said about Xpreshn Lux.
Company officials claim that Xpreshn Lux is up to 500% softer than Tepeo, Benecke-Kaliko’s low density polyolefin foil that is used in surface materials. Xpreshn Lux is marking its global debut on the Cadillac XTS sold in China. “Our Xpreshn Lux gives an ultra-luxury touch sensation as a lower-cost alternative to leather,” said Beckman.
Xpreshn Lux is thermoformed. An up-level Xpreshn version is in the final stages of development. It "will be cut-and-sew for a TPO-type of material, so that’s definitely different than the traditional processing method of vacuum-forming,” Beckman toldAutomotive Engineering.
Reducing NVH, raising aesthetics
An interior that’s not roaring with road, wind, and engine noise is especially desirable for drivers using voice commands for navigation, entertainment, and other in-vehicle communications.
According to plastics industry consultant Robert Eller, “There are some very interesting things happening with polyurethane foams using graphene and other forms of carbon to improve the acoustic performance on both sides of the firewall.”
An ‘exposed’ composite material could heighten a vehicle interior’s visual appeal, said Megan McConnell, Advanced Color and Materials Designer in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles U.S. Product Design Office. “By emphasizing [composites] as a design feature and eliminating the surface materials, we reduce weight, cost, and complexity,” McConnell said.
Although innovations are influenced by regulations, standards, and customer preferences, cost remains a crucial factor in materials selection.
“If you look at automotive seating, you can see that the profitability has been driven out. That’s why we see many of the tier one [suppliers] escaping that sector,” Eller said. “That’s something we like to look at as an impediment to innovations. Or sometimes, it’s a stimulant.”
Author: Kami Buchholz
Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine
Benecke-Kaliko公司Xpreshn表面材料的觸感非常柔軟。 
這種門板胎件（如圖）采用了天然洋麻材料。IAC公司先使用粘合劑制成多層板，然后再將這種材料板組裝成門板。由于粘合劑本身就是一種揮發(fā)性有機化合物，帶有一定氣味，因此公司也在研究真空形成的雙層壓板是如何通過粘合劑連接在一起的。
2016年沃德汽車內(nèi)飾大會材料創(chuàng)新專家組成員，從左至右依次為FCA的Megan McConnell、Robert Eller Assoc.公司的塑料行業(yè)咨詢師Robert Eller，以及Benecke-Kaliko公司的Dominik Beckman。