Automotive & Transportation
Stories

The Car’s New Clothes

The idea of what mobility means is changing more than almost any concept in the world right now. In order to ensure the survival of the car, its design, safety measures and drive technology need to be adapted further and further to keep it in line with future trends. The adhesive applications for which Jowat provides solutions also have an impact on this process. Application Technology Specialist Florian Krüger provides an insight into the latest developments in this field.

Customer Magazine

The future of individual mobility is equal parts uncertain and exciting. While hydrogen and electric motors promise a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, smart technologies—particularly autonomous driving—offer greater convenience and safety for the occupants of the vehicle. Both these fields will result in fundamental changes to the way vehicles are built—of this, Florian Krüger is certain. “As it stands, vehicle cockpits are designed entirely with the driver and functionality in mind,” the Jowat SE application technology specialist explains. “If vehicles no longer need to be controlled manually, that means modules like the steering wheel and the gearstick can be done away with entirely.” New forms of drive technology will also create more space in the vehicle—the central console can be removed, for example, as it mainly exists due to the combustion engine.

Up-and-Coming Materials

For Jowat, this means that the way adhesives are used in vehicles also needs a rethink. The interior of the future will place greater emphasis on design and allow for more intuitive use. This will lead to new materials—and, in turn, new bonding solutions, which Jowat is working with manufacturers to develop. One example of this is the touch-operated console of the future, which will require a coating that maintains the transparent quality of the surface. Other components of the car will also present a constant stream of new challenges in terms of compatible adhesives. “One German car manufacturer has been using high quantities of recycled materials for the seat covers in one of its models,” says Florian Krüger. “One of the factors that is important when bonding these is the purity of the recycled material.” The use of renewable raw materials in vehicle interior design is also on the rise. NFPP is based on a combination of natural fibres and polypropylene, and its minimal weight makes it of particular interest for lightweight construction. Its feel and noise insulation properties have also received positive feedback.

Non-Hazardous Adhesives for the Future

In order to make car design more sustainable in every way, an environmentally friendly bonding solution will also be required. In the Jowatherm-Reaktant® MR 642.90, the adhesives experts have provided a monomer-reduced—and therefore not subject to hazard labelling requirements—PUR hot melt for coating vehicle interior design. “This adhesive can be used in all the conventional application procedures, though its greatest strengths are its sprayability and its suitability for 3D coating,”

Florian Krüger underlines. It should also be noted that, by using this product, companies can help to improve the health and safety of their employees (see page 13). Florian Krüger calls the Jowatherm-Reaktant® MR 642.90 “a true all-rounder when it comes to coating components,” and one that fulfils all the requirements for modern production. It encapsulates perfectly Jowat’s ability to provide its customers with modern solutions, and is the perfect companion on our road to the future of mobility.

Read other interesting articles in our customer magazine.