Covestro reinvent the wheel with new thermoplastic composites
Covestro has released a new thermoplastic composites for automotive designers’ toolbox for designing unique appearances.
Maezio continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic composites are made up of unidirectional carbon fibre optics and a high-quality surface offered by the polycarbonate matrix.
Covestro says they have given the ES8 and ES6, the all-electric SUVs from Chinese Electric Vehicle startup NIO, a boost on the wheels.
The wheels feature aluminium rims with opt-in carbon fibre blade inserts, designed to lend the vehicle a high-end aesthetic appeal with a lightweight flavour and improved aerodynamics.
Maezio composites are a combination of a unique appearance with unidirectional carbon fibre optics and a wide variety of finishing options.
"Maezio composites are a very unique material because they kind of redefine how beauty is associated with carbon fibres," said Yanbing Wang, Senior CMF designer from NIO.
"They have set a new aesthetic direction with the unidirectional strands of fibres that remind me of the flowing shapes of rocks within the Antelope Canyon. It feels dynamic and full of energy."
In combination with the coating system, the composite wheel blades have withstood rigorous safety and performance requirements, such as impact, chemical and weather resistance.
The Makrolon polycarbonate on which Maezio is based displays high thermal stability qualities so the wheel blade insert can survive braking-induced temperatures of up to 150° C.
Due to their thermoplastic matrix system, Maezio composites can be easily joined with functional components during processing, e.g., through back injection moulding. In the case of the wheel blade inserts, they are joined with the aluminium spokes of the wheel through back-moulded screw bosses made of polycarbonates. The common resin material makes it easy and secure to bond the two parts.
Maezio composites can be cut and remelted for reuse at the end of life, or reground into short fibre compounds and used in an injection moulding process, making them a sustainable material choice for EV manufacturers to further improve their sustainability scorecard.