Lotte Chemical develops translucent PP compound for automotive design

Lotte Chemical has developed an innovative translucent PP compound solution that will change the automotive design paradigm. The developed products have high light transmittance and low haze characteristics that cannot be achieved with traditional PP compound products, and are expected to provide intelligent integrated design solutions for the automotive industry to move towards electric vehicles and autonomous driving.

In particular, it offers new possibilities in the design of exterior systems for bumpers and grilles. Translucent solutions will provide a beautiful visual effect by hiding lighting and sensors. In addition, an integrated design structure that eliminates component boundaries will reduce air resistance and achieve carbon emissions reductions through improved fuel efficiency.

Exterior panels realized with this translucent PP compound solution can be used as a communication canvas for enhanced autonomous driving functions, making them a diverse communication panel between drivers and between the driver and the external environment. The use of composite technology supplements the lack of rigidity and durability, and can be structurally supplemented in component design.

Since it is difficult to apply PC materials that can achieve transmission properties to bumpers due to pedestrian collision safety considerations, the use of translucent PP is expected to increase.

Lotte Chemical said: “With this developed product, car manufacturers will be able to see the possibility of further differentiation in vehicle design and functionality, and we plan to expand the translucent differentiation solution to interior materials as well as automobile exterior panel materials."