Howa Tramico, of Brionne, France, says that the dry powder-impregnation technology developed by its compatriot, Fibroline of Limonest, eliminates waste and the need for solvents during the production of its headliners. Further, the technology reduces the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted into the car’s interior by the headliners during use by a factor of 100.
Traditionally, headliners are made from polyurethane (PU) foams that are impregnated with liquid thermoset resin to improve their mechanical resistance and thermal stability. For this purpose, Howa Tramico employed foulard impregnation using a solvent-based solution it had developed in-house called Tramivex. Fibroline's process, by contrast, employs electrical fields to drive dry powders into substrates. The use of this technology eliminates the need for the energy-intensive process used to dry the headliner material after solvents are employed. Further, dry-powder impregnation generates almost no effluent, reducing both costs and the environmental impact of the production of headliners.
The Managing Director of Howa Tramico, Vincent Bonnerot, says: “By eliminating solvent-based materials and the associated logistical constraints, these technologies not only simplify operations, but also allow for the integration of new functionalities with unprecedented flexibility."
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fibroline, Jérôme Ville, concludes: “This project is the result of a close and long-term collaboration between the innovation teams of Howa Tramico and Fibroline(1). Fibroline's dry process solutions greatly facilitate compliance with environmental standards, while paving the way for the integration of new functionalities that liquid-based solutions cannot offer. This new headliner is a major first step, signalling the arrival of many other innovative products to come as part of this partnership.”