Tough on the inside

Scratch resistance is paramount for interior materials-and is a particular challenge for parts made of polypropylene.

Polypropylene (PP) resins and compounds are being widely used in various automotive interior plastic parts such as instrument panels, door trims, console, and pillar trims due to their versatility, wide range of physical and mechanical properties, excellent processability and recyclability, and relatively low material cost. PP compounds have been replacing engineering plastics such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PC (polycarbonate)/ABS for years.

Scratch resistance is one of the key requirements for materials in molded-in-color interior applications. This subject has been one of the major technical challenges for automotive industry engineers working with parts made of PP resins or compounds, and its importance has been increasing over the past decade for most global OEMs.