Press Release
ContiTech
Benecke-Kaliko
Intelligent Passenger Compartment Solutions for
Lightweight Vehicles
 Huge weight savings can be achieved with modern materials
 Lower emissions and consumption thanks to consistent use of lightweight construction
 Dr. Erhard Barho from surface specialist Benecke-Kaliko presents to experts at the
Lightweight Vehicles Conference
Hanover, November 2015. Huge weight savings can be achieved with modern passenger
compartment materials. Dr. Erhard Barho, Head of R&D at surface specialist Benecke-Kaliko, gave
a presentation to the assembled experts at the Lightweight Vehicles Conference in Berlin about the
options which are already available.
Technical plastics are materials for the future for the automotive industry. After all, ever more
stringent upper emission limits have to be met, and customers have to be offered economic
solutions despite rising fuel prices. That is only possible if vehicles become lighter.
The average vehicle weight has already fallen by 20 percent since 2008 – and Barho is convinced
that this trend will continue in order to achieve the optimal fuel efficiency. This is made possible
primarily by means of lightweight plastic components. Their use is particularly important in vehicles
using electric drives, which are still heavy – every gram of weight saved in these means a longer
range and better drive performance. But the initial effect of measures to cut consumption and
reduce emissions in internal combustion engines, too – such as exhaust gas recirculation systems,
particulate filters and electronic control systems – is to increase the vehicle weight, which then has
to be saved elsewhere.
The plastics also need to become lighter
Numerous plastic materials can already help if they are used in place of the heavier materials
employed hitherto. But Barho is certain of one thing: “In order to also meet future requirements,
however, it will be necessary to develop ever lighter plastic solutions.“ After all, experts estimate
that plastics will constitute up to 18 percent of the weight of an average vehicle by 2020.
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Your contact:
Antje Lewe, phone: +49 511 938-1304
-2The materials for the vehicle interior offer an especially large potential. This is where BeneckeKaliko comes in with its lightweight construction solutions. The ultralight Xpreshn Light and
Xpreshn HD Light decorative foils, for instance, offer vehicle manufacturers the ability to reduce the
weight of their vehicles without the purchasers having to accept lower quality or, even, lower
comfort as a result. The materials for instrument panels, door trims, consoles, scoops, the heel
mat, tray areas, pillars, seat backs and floor coverings even feel softer and more pleasing still than
other foil products.
No adverse impacts on other product properties
Xpreshn Light and Xpreshn HD Light, which is cross-linked for especially high grain stability, are
expanded foil laminates with a compact upper foil and a foam lower foil. The foils are deep-drawn
in the customer’s plant and bonded to the substrate – for example, the door cladding. “They enable
a further 20 percent weight saving compared with the Xpreshn and Xpreshn HD materials, which
were themselves conceived as lightweight design solutions,” Bartho told the conference delegates.
“This means they are up to 60 percent lighter than conventional solutions.” However, the
advantages extend far beyond the weight saving and the associated environmental benefits: The
two materials permit tight radii and impress buyers thanks to their grain stability, surface quality
and dimensional stability. They are also available with the “high scratch resistance” option.
Another lightweight construction solution is Benecke-Kaliko’s Acella Light trim and upholstery
material for seats, consoles and decorative elements. “The material weighs 20 percent less than
comparable standard surface materials,” explained Barho. “It is free of plasticizers and foaming
agents which are toxic to reproduction and also contains no heavy-metal stabilizers.”
The Yorn Light foil solution is used for instrument panels, door trims, consoles, head restraints,
seat backs, tray areas and pillars. This environment-friendly and inexpensive surface material for
vehicle interiors enables weight savings of up to 50 percent compared with standard decorative
materials, and its carbon footprint is up to 46 percent smaller than standard PVC foils. It can be
used wherever PVC expanded foils have been used up till now. The difference is that lighter
polypropylene (PP) is now used instead of a PVC foam. “If lighter foils are used consistently, up to
2 kg can be saved per vehicle,” Benecke-Kaliko’s experts have calculated. Yorn Light’s other
convincing properties are that it is soft to the touch and has a wide processing window and a broad
spectrum of colors and grain designs.
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Your contact:
Antje Lewe, phone: +49 511 938-1304
-3Caption CT_BK_Xpreshn.jpg
Xpreshn offers almost unlimited freedom of self-expression, including scratch-resistant, weightreduced or extremely soft, as required.
Photo: ContiTech
Continental develops intelligent technologies for transporting people and their goods. As a reliable partner,
the international automotive supplier, tire manufacturer, and industrial partner provides sustainable, safe,
comfortable, individual, and affordable solutions. In 2014, the corporation generated sales of approximately
€34.5 billion with its five divisions, Chassis & Safety, Interior, Powertrain, Tire, and ContiTech. Continental
currently employs more than 208,000 people in 53 countries.
The ContiTech division is one of the world's leading suppliers of technical elastomer products and is a
specialist in plastics technology. It develops and produces functional parts, components, and systems for
machine and plant engineering, mining, the automotive industry, and other important industries. Together
with U.S. company Veyance Technologies Inc., which was acquired at the beginning of 2015, ContiTech
generated sales of approximately €5.4 billion (pro forma basis) in 2014 and currently employs approximately
43,000 people in 43 countries worldwide.
Contact for journalists
Antje Lewe
Spokeswoman
Head of Media & Public Relations
ContiTech AG
Phone: +49 511 938-1304
E-mail: antje.lewe@contitech.de
www.contitech.de
The press release is available in the following languages: English, German
Links
Press releases and photos are available for download at www.contitech.de/press
Your contact:
Antje Lewe, phone: +49 511 938-1304