BASF establishes lightweight composites

To show its commitment to the growing importance of lightweight design in the automotive industry, in mid-2011 BASF established a lightweight composites team. The group focuses on the development of marketable materials and technologies that are suitable for manufacturing high-performance fiber-reinforced parts for automotive applications. More metal can be replaced only through use of lightweight yet strong composite materials and parts, and in this way - regardless of the propulsion system in the vehicle - reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions even further. Via its broad product portfolio, BASF is able to investigate three different plastic matrix systems simultaneously and intends to develop tailor-made formulations in close cooperation with customers. "We can build here on BASF's know-how in the areas of epoxy, polyurethane and polyamide chemistry, want to exploit the synergies in the team and will be making a double-digit million euro investment in development in the coming years", explained Willy Hoven-Nievelstein, BASF's head of the Engineering Plastics Europe business unit.