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BASF and Dutch plastics company TenCate have agreed to jointly develop a new range of thermoplastic composites for use in vehicle production.

The companies say they hope to eventually use the materials as a replacement for metals in the body and chassis of mass-production cars, saying they’re just as strong and can be up to 50% lighter. As well as this, they claim the ease with which thermoplastics can be processed and shaped would “dramatically reduce” production times, and can be recycled once the cars are scrapped.

“The next major advance in lightweight automotive constructions will not be possible without a dramatic reduction in processing costs,” explains Melanie Maas-Brunner, new head of BASF’s engineering plastics unit in Germany. “The breakthrough for composites to mass production, however, has not yet been made.

“By working together with TenCate,” she adds, “we intend to jointly achieve this breakthrough.”

The thermoplastics are made from fabrics impregnated with resins and formed into sheets, making them extremely light yet very strong. These can then be formed into more complex parts and injection moulded into whatever shape is needed by the car manufacturers.

According to Frank Meurs, group director of TenCate’s European advanced composites unit, Tencate’s thermoplastics “have long been applied in commercial aircraft constructions, and are increasingly used in industrial manufacturing processes.”

“Now, TenCate intends to expand its activities in the automotive industry” he adds.