ABS/ASA material combination for lightweight Golf VII front grill

• Electroplatable ABS for logo & inferior rod
• Painted ABS & unpainted ASA version

For the new Golf VII’s front grill, Volkswagen (VW) and their component supplier, Sole SpA, (company of the Prima SpA) wanted to use lightweight, cost-efficient plastics without compromising on aesthetics and turned to a combination of three materials supplied by Styrolution.

Electroplatable ABS features high flowability

One of these is Novodur P2MC, which is used for the VW logo in the inferior front grill rod. Especially well-suited for electroplating, this injection-mold grade material belongs to Styrolution’s range of specialty acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymers and features high flowability and very good impact resistance. It looks like chrome after plating, but is actually a durable, lightweight plastic.

High impact resistant ABS grade for the painted version

Both plated components, the logo and the inferior rod, are assembled on the front grill in two variations: painted and unpainted. The material used for the painted version of the front grill is Novodur H702, a specialty ABS grade that meets VW’s stability requirements for thermally stressed components. The heat resistance of Novodur H702 makes it a common material of choice for painted applications, such as front grills. The plastic’s benefits also include high impact resistance and dimensional stability.

ASA grade for unpainted version features enhanced UV-stability

The unpainted version of the front grill is made from Styrolution’s Luran S 778T SPF30, which is based on acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) copolymers. The material is part of the company’s Luran S product line and offers a wide range of special properties, including very good chemical resistance, high surface quality, as well as major improvements in color fastness and surface quality for pre-colored exterior applications. The SPF30 package offers enhanced UV-stability to ensure that gloss and color are retained for considerably longer periods and show significantly less graying and yellowing when the surface is exposed to sunlight.

The new Golf VII front grill is made using three different products from Styrolution’s product range: Novodur P2MC, Novodur H702 and Luran S 778T.

]Luran S SPF30 was developed specially for car manufacturers in order to offer improved UV performance for exterior parts. And the Golf VII is not the only vehicle that uses this Luran grade. After the material was introduced to VW in 2011, its purchasing department also recommended using it for all exterior parts made from ASA.