In November 2020, Celanese introduced a sustainable polyacetal product offering known as POM ECO-B, a mass-balance, bio-based option that allows customers to realize a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in their end-use products and advance toward renewable content goals. While POM ECO-B is commercially available now, not all customers or industries are ready to adopt bio-mass balance that comes with its carbon dioxide footprint reduction benefit.

PolyOne recently collaborated with a leading global automotive OEM and its injection molder to eliminate paint from a new vehicle’s interior. To support the transition to molded-in-color (MIC) parts, PolyOne provided metallic-effect Smartbatch FX masterbatch colorants for two PC/ABS side panels on the center console of a compact SUV now entering commercial production. The parts (two; one on each side of the center console) are C-shaped, 35-cm long, and at their widest point 11-cm wide.

“Typically, you do not want a bunch of holes or sharp curves in a part if you intend to use metallic-effect masterbatch. Too often, a mold is made for molding of parts that will be painted, and then — when it is time for a facelift — the OEM decides it wants to save some money and shift from paint to masterbatch. However, without investing in a new mold, the existing mold design often makes it very difficult for masterbatch to be successfully used.

Celanese Corp. and Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials (MCAM), a global manufacturer of high-performance thermoplastic materials in the form of semi-finished products and finished parts, have announced a joint collaboration to further develop mechanical recycling solutions for both post-industrial and post-consumer sources of polyacetal (POM) copolymer. The aim is to meet requests from customers seeking recycled content options and carbon dioxide reductions while maintaining product consistency, quality, and performance.

PolyOne recently collaborated with a leading global automotive OEM and its injection molder to eliminate paint from a new vehicle’s interior.

To provide customers with additional information on making the switch from paint to molded-in-color parts, PolyOne has created an eBook titled, “Trend Report: Efficient Manufacturing And Molded-In Color.”

Paint adds a great surface finish to automobile parts, but painting always adds cost, time, and additional logistics requirements according to PolyOne. By using Smartbatch FX metallic masterbatches, the molder was able to produce parts ready for assembly with no secondary processing required. Suitable for standard injection molding machinery, Smartbatch FX reduces the cost per part by 30 percent or more compared to painted parts. Lowered energy requirements versus painting and the reduction of VOCs also make this masterbatch a more environmentally sustainable solution.

Celanese and MCAM plan to work together to assess options to convert waste streams into marketable, end-product formulations so that Celanese can offer its customers sustainable options for scrap or end-of-life waste with assurances of closed-loop material reuse.

“MCAM has invested significantly in enabling closed-loop opportunities for post-industrial and post-consumer POM waste streams. In partnership with raw material supplier Celanese and its extensive capacities, we can now offer a wide range of new opportunities to our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals, support CO2 reduction, and work toward a climate-neutral economy,” said Markus Wehinger, Business Manager, MCAM Recycling Solutions.

And though the argument against masterbatch always is about these visual defects, little is said about scrap from paint lines, which can reportedly be more than 20%. Painting is not only more costly, and energy-intensive; it also generates very high levels of non-recyclable scrap.

Transitioning from paint to the use of MIC with Smartbatch FX helps manufacturers in the automotive, appliance, consumer goods and other industries create attractive, durable parts at reduced cost. PolyOne’s metallic-effect masterbatches can be incorporated into pre-colored compounds or dosed at a molding machine.

“Many car parts are painted, not just metal and thermoplastic exterior parts, but also thermoplastic parts in a vehicle’s interior,” notes Gary Fielding, vice president and general manager, Color and Additives EMEA at PolyOne. “We have successfully helped carmakers transition from paint to MIC for many exterior applications such as skid plates and trims. This recent project is a significant step forward in reducing the cost to manufacture highly visible interior applications.”

Transitioning from paint to masterbatch for metallic-effect parts is not new, but it is nowhere near as widespread as one would expect according to some auto industry observers. Inertia — We’ve always done it that way — and legacy investment in paint lines, supports the continued use of paint.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and is a proud dachshund owner.

The key to molding good parts is for OEMs to decide, very early on, that a part will be colored with molded-in color masterbatch; that decision will then support the development of a mold and part suitable for masterbatch.

The joint announcement with MCAM builds upon Celanese’s sustainable product offerings by initiating development of a recycled content option of the Celanese Hostaform/Celcon POM product that will be marketed as POM ECO-R. MCAM will conduct recycled feedstock collection, separation, and processing, while Celanese will provide the formulation, product technology, and production capability. Celanese expects to offer its POM ECO-R solution with up to 30% recycled content.

“Celanese is a leading, global producer of acetal copolymer, and our industrial-scale manufacturing capabilities for POM are ideally suited for helping customers in a range of industries — such as medical, automotive and consumer goods — to meet their strategic environmental goals,” said Tom Kelly, Celanese Senior Vice President, Engineered Materials. “Offering both bio-based POM content, which can be uniquely produced from waste products via bio-methane or from CO2 emissions, and recycled POM through a collaboration with MCAM, elevates the broad usability of POM as an ideal engineered material that can help our customers achieve their sustainability goals.”

The industry’s challenges, in light of COVID-19 and an uncertain economy, could open the door much wider to greater use of metallic-effect masterbatches, as these significantly lower cost per part. The challenge with masterbatch remains molding parts that do not have visual defects such as flow or weld lines.