Coatings for dashboards

The decision to buy a car is not just a question of technology and performance, but also a matter of emotions. You want to ride in style and comfort, feel good and most importantly safe in your new car. For decades, the exterior has been the crucial factor when deciding to buy a car, but this "love at first sight" is now increasingly as much about the vehicle's interior aesthetics too. Here, one of the most important roles is played by the first thing that catches the eye: the dashboard. The modern dashboard must fulfil numerous needs. Not only does it have to hold the instruments, technology and passenger airbags in place, at the same time it provides a safety element that must remain stable in case of a crash. In addition, the dashboard must be visually appealing, pleasant to touch and something that enhances the driving and passenger experience. 

Since the 1960s, due to its versatility and ease of mass production, plastic has been one of the most widely used materials in car interiors. However, the plastic parts in today’s car interiors have nothing in common with the look and feel of the plastics of the past. Plastic coatings ensure the high-quality look for the vehicle and satisfy the highest demands relating to design and functionality of the buyers. To give plastic surfaces a long lasting, high-quality appearance, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to the automotive industry often prefer to coat the plastic with a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer.

The production of high-performance, isophorone-based crosslinking technologies is the core competence of Evonik's Crosslinkers business line. This includes IPDI- based crosslinkers from the VESTANAT^® range, a preferred raw material for the synthesis of light stable and weather-resistant polyurethanes like elastomers.

Elastomers based on VESTANAT^® IPDI are characterized by excellent elasticity and haptics. This is particularly important for automotive dashboard coatings, where an attractive appearance is required in addition to resistance and UV stability. With the addition of VESTANAT^® IPDI, plastic coatings for car interiors become scratch-resistant, durable and resistant to environmental factors like fading caused by sunlight and heat, so that the plastic parts remain looking as fresh as they did when they first come off the factory production line.

Crosslinkers -  Creating marketable and intelligent solutions

Since 1962, Evonik has been a pioneer and reliable partner for its customers and their diverse needs all over the word in the field of isophorone chemistry. Now, 60 years later, Evonik is represented worldwide by its innovative isophorone-based VESTA brand family. Applications range from coatings and adhesives to civil engineering, high-performance elastomers and composites. Evonik is now going even further by being the first company in the world to create a sustainable isophorone range of products taking pole position in climate protection and helping customers to improve their carbon footprint.

Mechanical strength, durability, chemical resistance and excellent color stability and adhesion properties – Evonik´s business line Crosslinkers offers tailor-made solutions for customers all over the world. As a raw material supplier, we have a profound understanding of the needs of our customers and their unique markets. Our range of products and expertise generates added value in a number of areas: from coatings and adhesives to civil engineering, high-performance elastomers and composites.

VESTANAT^® IPDI ensures that plastic coatings for car interiors are scratch-resistant, durable and just beautiful.