Michael F. Hurley

New Competitive Polyurethane Materials for Automotive Fascia

Current demands in the marketplace have led to the development of innovative Bayflex-type polyurethane elastomer systems for automotive fascia. These products can offer the automotive fascia molder the advantages of RRIM (reinforced reaction injection molding) polyurethane elastomers in a very competitive package. This new reinforced fascia material is the result of modifications in three areas of materials and processing: lower-cost reinforcing fillers, a new competitive urethane RIM (reaction injection molding) system, and the application of density-reduction technology. These sytems possess processing characteristics similar to those of established RRIM products, pass on-car perfor-

Process Considerations in Composites Production Via Reaction Injection Molding

An historical overview of the use of composites in the automotive industry is given with emphasis given to the advantages and limitations of particular processes for various applications. Structural RIM is described as a process which combines high productivity with controlled, predictable part properties. After the materials are briefly described, some new studies which investigate what is actually occurring in the mold during the Structural RIM process are discussed