The 11th Edition CPRJ Plastics in Automotive Conference and Showcase entered its second (Nov 18), with the highlight of "lightweighting and integration for new energy vehicle (NEVs)".

In addition to the Main Forum, two more inspiring Parallel Sub-Forums were held to discuss the hot topics of "Lightweighting and Sustainable Development of NEVs" and "Integration and Intelligent Interior and Exterior of NEVs".

"Click" to watch the video!

Seamless online and offline integrated platform for precise business matching

According to the organizers, over 50 domestic and foreign advanced material and process solution suppliers presented their latest technologies for the automotive industry at the Conference. They interacted with many automotive manufacturers in which some manufacture new energy vehicles and components.

Helping grasp collaboration opportunities, the organizers specially strengthened the integration of online and offline business and technology matching sessions. According to the organizers, more than 130 one-on-one and one-to many precise business matching sessions were conducted. 

Conference participants exchanged information with Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems in one of the business matching session.

For example, in one of the sessions, the senior engineer of injection molding process platform and senior purchaser of raw materials at Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd. exchanged detailed information with participants.

The topics discussed included special injection molding machines, laser coding equipment, injection molding defect identification system, inline temperature real-time monitoring system, mold management system, centralized feeding system and material cost reduction direction.

Conference participants exchanged information with China FAW R&D Institute, Material Institute in another business matching session.

In another session, the senior director of China FAW R&D Institute, Material Institute shared the technology requirements with a number of material and molding process technology suppliers. Among others, requirements on environmentally friendly materials, smart materials, multi-material injection molding, and TPV continuous extrusion molding were discussed.

Online business matching platform was specially arranged. 

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd., BAIC Motor Corporation Ltd. R&D Center, smart Automobile Co., Ltd., Li Auto Inc., and more enterprises were also connected with material and process technology suppliers through online matching sessions.

Main Forum: Lightweighting and Integration of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs)

Dr. Chengyin Yuan, General Manager, Technology Innovation Center, National New Energy Vehicle Technology

Dr. Chengyin Yuan, General Manager, Technology Innovation Center, National New Energy Vehicle Technology, believes that sales of the new energy vehicle industry will recover after the pandemic. He also sees the large-scale application of intelligent network technology in autonomous vehicles an inevitable trend.

Digitalization and its related technologies are important means for R&D, production and marketing of automobile. And cloud technology, in particular, is an important way for the automobile industry to achieve digital transformation, he said.

Leo Sun, CEO of Shanghai Lean-in Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

In his presentation, Leo Sun, CEO of Shanghai Lean-in Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd., introduced the trends of the global new energy vehicle market, the development of lightweight new energy vehicles, and the technological progress and innovation of leading automotive companies.

From January to September 2022, the global sales of new energy vehicles were 7.136 million units, with a penetration rate of 12.8%. Leo Sun commented that lightweight technology is a shared technology when it comes to “low carbon emission”, “electrification” and “intelligence”. Moreover, lightweight interiors play an important role in the lightweight design of new energy vehicles, he said.

Stephen Chen, Foresight Design Professional Master at GAC Research Institute of GAC Group

Stephen Chen, Foresight Design Professional Master at GAC Research Institute of GAC Group, gave a sharing on the topic of "Infinite Possibilities of Future-oriented Interior and Exterior Design for NEVs". An example he highlighted was the “mirror” series of the company’s automotive design concept.

The overall design of the car was inspired by rivers and mountains of China, he told. The cabin features a unique sitting format, which is in line with the living habits of the Chinese people.

Parallel Sub-Forum: Lightweighting and Sustainable Development of NEVs

Yi Zhu, Senior Director, China FAW R & D Institute, Materials Institute

Regarding new material R&D direction and application in automotive industry under the megatrend of environmental protection, Yi Zhu, Senior Director, China FAW R & D Institute, Materials Institute, stated that the trends of environmental protection and electrification of automobiles have led to new requirements for healthcare materials.

For example, plastic materials for batteries need to meet requirements such as flame retardancy, electrical properties, medium resistance, and high strength. And materials for interiors and exteriors have to be non-harmful to respiratory health, physical contact and the environment.

Sherry Yin, Director of ARBURG Shanghai at ARBURG (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Sherry Yin, Director of ARBURG Shanghai at ARBURG (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., focused on the company’s lightweight solutions for new energy vehicles. Its long glass fiber continuous injection molding technology, for example, allows direct molding of longer glass fiber.

This makes it possible to improve product properties specifically, and adjust length and material combination of glass fiber independently. Higher economic benefits can be realized in this way, she remarked.

Besides, she introduced the advantages of Arburg's micro-foam injection molding technology, including less cycle time, lower weight, reduced viscosity, and requiring lower melt temperature, clamping force and injection pressure.

Fred Tao, Application Manager-Asia, Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Fred Tao, Application Manager-Asia, Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., presented the company’s hot runner technology for automotive lightweighting. He said that molding solutions of Barnes Group are widely used in fields like high-quality hot runner systems, complex molds, sensor technology and control systems, and so on.

Featured brands and products include Synventive, which offers advanced hot runner systems and needle valve control technology, Thermoplay, which focuses on packaging, and FOBOHA, which develops three-dimensional molds.

According to Fred Tao, the application of thin-walled products, the application of long glass fiber and the application of foaming process are major applications of hot runner in automobile lightweighting. 

Yinan Hu, Technical expert of Material R&D Center, Minth Group Limited

Yinan Hu, Technical expert of Material R&D Center, Minth Group Limited, shared his insights about trends in smart exterior and applications of functional materials. Minth is committed to the innovative design and development of automotive exterior, and the Group develops smart integrated solutions for car body and exterior decoration.

According to Yinan Hu, Minth mainly focuses on smart solutions for areas such as front face, tailgate, door, etc. He also introduced the latest applications of some functional materials.

Alex Dai, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics Automotive APAC Marketing Manager

In his presentation “How to achieve sustainability? The answer from Dow Mobility Science”, Alex Dai, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics Automotive APAC Marketing Manager, mentioned that the growth related to food packaging far exceeds the growth of population at present. Therefore, Dow is committed to providing better food preservation, reducing food waste, and helping recycling and sustainable development.

Regarding the automotive industry, more and more vehicles makes it a big challenge for Dow to achieve carbon emission reduction goals. With the development of electrification, lightweighting will be an unchanging trend for interior and exterior. Alex Dai emphasized that Dow is committed to helping achieve lightweighting and carbon neutral from the material side.

Sunny Sun, Strategic Integrated Solutions Director at Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Sunny Sun, Strategic Integrated Solutions Director at Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., shared how Rosti achieves sustainable development for injection molding in the automotive industry. In this sector, the company provides different solutions for target customers.

For example, using micro-foaming technology to meet the requirements of weight and cost reduction for interior and exterior. The company also developed RHCM technology to meet customers' requirement of avoiding spraying and carbon emissions reduction.

Parallel Sub-Forum: Integration and Intelligent Interior and Exterior of NEVs

Peiyun He, Interior Parts Materials Engineer at SAIC Motor Corporation Co., Ltd.

In her presentation “Research on the applications of sea-island microfiber suede in automobiles”, Peiyun He, Interior Parts Materials Engineer at SAIC Motor Corporation Co., Ltd., discussed the characteristics of the common suede production process: non-sea island structure, no fiber opening process, and more environmentally friendly process. The application of suede in auto parts is mainly processed through fabric lamination process.

As explained, SAIC Motor adjusts the mold temperature of the ceiling process to 120°C and the temperature parameters of the column process to 210°C, so that the application of suede in auto parts performs well. 

Steven Sun, Sales Director-China, Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Steven Sun, Sales Director-China, Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., shared the innovative solutions of dry ice blasting technology for manufacturing of new energy vehicles. One of the main application areas is manufacturing of electric vehicle battery, which includes mixer and injection mold cleaning, adhesive removal, surface preparation, etc.

Meanwhile, other applications of dry ice blasting technology include cleaning of leather pattern mold, welding fixture, polyurethane product mold and die casting mold, pre-spraying treatment, etc.

Xiaofei Shi, Business Development and Key Account Manager, Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

In her sharing, Xiaofei Shi, Business Development and Key Account Manager, Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. talked about how built-in antimicrobial technology redefines the cleanliness for automotive interior, such as center console panel, air conditioning system, steering wheel, leather, flooring, and more.

Automotive interiors are facing the threat of bacteria, and Microban's built-in antimicrobial technology can add antimicrobial agents to a variety of materials, including masterbatch, liquid, powder, plastic, coating, and textile, he introduced. As such, the antimicrobial effect of the products are long lasting, the risk of cross-contamination is reduced, and is not affected by cleaning agents.

Haiming Gu, Senior Engineer of Injection Molding Process Platform, Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd.

In his presentation “The Road on Upgrading the Efficiency and Automation of Injection Molding”, Haiming Gu, Senior Engineer of Injection Molding Process Platform, Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd., explained how the company considers the efficiency of injection molding machines from three aspects: cycle time, injection loss, and energy consumption.

He also talked about the transformation of the injection molding model. From his observation, the traditional production model mainly relies on manpower, but the revolution of production model brought about by innovation can realize automation. This new model controls production through MES, and it can realize automated handling and loading.

Concurrent solutions and products showcase

The conference was also supported by a number of sponsors who showcased their innovative solutions concurrently, including:

Guangdong Yizumi Precision Machinery Co.,Ltd.

Avient Corporation

SHANGHAI-FANUC Robomachine Co.,Ltd.

Hongrita Precision Component (Zhongshan) Ltd.

JSW Machinery Trading (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.

LKIMM

Star Advanced Materials (Shandong) Co., Ltd.

Tederic Machinery Co.,Ltd.

Wittmann Battenfeld (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

CHEN HSONG

Suzhou Sunway Polymer Co., Ltd.

Böhler Special Steels (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

ARBURG (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd

Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Dow

The 11th Edition CPRJ Plastics in Automotive Conference and Showcase entered its second (Nov 18), with the highlight of "lightweighting and integration for new energy vehicle (NEVs)".

In addition to the Main Forum, two more inspiring Parallel Sub-Forums were held to discuss the hot topics of "Lightweighting and Sustainable Development of NEVs" and "Integration and Intelligent Interior and Exterior of NEVs".

"Click" to watch the video!

Seamless online and offline integrated platform for precise business matching

According to the organizers, over 50 domestic and foreign advanced material and process solution suppliers presented their latest technologies for the automotive industry at the Conference. They interacted with many automotive manufacturers in which some manufacture new energy vehicles and components.

Helping grasp collaboration opportunities, the organizers specially strengthened the integration of online and offline business and technology matching sessions. According to the organizers, more than 130 one-on-one and one-to many precise business matching sessions were conducted. 

Conference participants exchanged information with Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems in one of the business matching session.

For example, in one of the sessions, the senior engineer of injection molding process platform and senior purchaser of raw materials at Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd. exchanged detailed information with participants.

The topics discussed included special injection molding machines, laser coding equipment, injection molding defect identification system, inline temperature real-time monitoring system, mold management system, centralized feeding system and material cost reduction direction.

Conference participants exchanged information with China FAW R&D Institute, Material Institute in another business matching session.

In another session, the senior director of China FAW R&D Institute, Material Institute shared the technology requirements with a number of material and molding process technology suppliers. Among others, requirements on environmentally friendly materials, smart materials, multi-material injection molding, and TPV continuous extrusion molding were discussed.

Online business matching platform was specially arranged. 

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor R&D Center (China) Co., Ltd., BAIC Motor Corporation Ltd. R&D Center, smart Automobile Co., Ltd., Li Auto Inc., and more enterprises were also connected with material and process technology suppliers through online matching sessions.

Main Forum: Lightweighting and Integration of New Energy Vehicles (NEVs)

Dr. Chengyin Yuan, General Manager, Technology Innovation Center, National New Energy Vehicle Technology

Dr. Chengyin Yuan, General Manager, Technology Innovation Center, National New Energy Vehicle Technology, believes that sales of the new energy vehicle industry will recover after the pandemic. He also sees the large-scale application of intelligent network technology in autonomous vehicles an inevitable trend.

Digitalization and its related technologies are important means for R&D, production and marketing of automobile. And cloud technology, in particular, is an important way for the automobile industry to achieve digital transformation, he said.

Leo Sun, CEO of Shanghai Lean-in Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd.

In his presentation, Leo Sun, CEO of Shanghai Lean-in Enterprise Management Consulting Co., Ltd., introduced the trends of the global new energy vehicle market, the development of lightweight new energy vehicles, and the technological progress and innovation of leading automotive companies.

From January to September 2022, the global sales of new energy vehicles were 7.136 million units, with a penetration rate of 12.8%. Leo Sun commented that lightweight technology is a shared technology when it comes to “low carbon emission”, “electrification” and “intelligence”. Moreover, lightweight interiors play an important role in the lightweight design of new energy vehicles, he said.

Stephen Chen, Foresight Design Professional Master at GAC Research Institute of GAC Group

Stephen Chen, Foresight Design Professional Master at GAC Research Institute of GAC Group, gave a sharing on the topic of "Infinite Possibilities of Future-oriented Interior and Exterior Design for NEVs". An example he highlighted was the “mirror” series of the company’s automotive design concept.

The overall design of the car was inspired by rivers and mountains of China, he told. The cabin features a unique sitting format, which is in line with the living habits of the Chinese people.

Parallel Sub-Forum: Lightweighting and Sustainable Development of NEVs

Yi Zhu, Senior Director, China FAW R & D Institute, Materials Institute

Regarding new material R&D direction and application in automotive industry under the megatrend of environmental protection, Yi Zhu, Senior Director, China FAW R & D Institute, Materials Institute, stated that the trends of environmental protection and electrification of automobiles have led to new requirements for healthcare materials.

For example, plastic materials for batteries need to meet requirements such as flame retardancy, electrical properties, medium resistance, and high strength. And materials for interiors and exteriors have to be non-harmful to respiratory health, physical contact and the environment.

Sherry Yin, Director of ARBURG Shanghai at ARBURG (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Sherry Yin, Director of ARBURG Shanghai at ARBURG (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., focused on the company’s lightweight solutions for new energy vehicles. Its long glass fiber continuous injection molding technology, for example, allows direct molding of longer glass fiber.

This makes it possible to improve product properties specifically, and adjust length and material combination of glass fiber independently. Higher economic benefits can be realized in this way, she remarked.

Besides, she introduced the advantages of Arburg's micro-foam injection molding technology, including less cycle time, lower weight, reduced viscosity, and requiring lower melt temperature, clamping force and injection pressure.

Fred Tao, Application Manager-Asia, Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Fred Tao, Application Manager-Asia, Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., presented the company’s hot runner technology for automotive lightweighting. He said that molding solutions of Barnes Group are widely used in fields like high-quality hot runner systems, complex molds, sensor technology and control systems, and so on.

Featured brands and products include Synventive, which offers advanced hot runner systems and needle valve control technology, Thermoplay, which focuses on packaging, and FOBOHA, which develops three-dimensional molds.

According to Fred Tao, the application of thin-walled products, the application of long glass fiber and the application of foaming process are major applications of hot runner in automobile lightweighting. 

Yinan Hu, Technical expert of Material R&D Center, Minth Group Limited

Yinan Hu, Technical expert of Material R&D Center, Minth Group Limited, shared his insights about trends in smart exterior and applications of functional materials. Minth is committed to the innovative design and development of automotive exterior, and the Group develops smart integrated solutions for car body and exterior decoration.

According to Yinan Hu, Minth mainly focuses on smart solutions for areas such as front face, tailgate, door, etc. He also introduced the latest applications of some functional materials.

Alex Dai, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics Automotive APAC Marketing Manager

In his presentation “How to achieve sustainability? The answer from Dow Mobility Science”, Alex Dai, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics Automotive APAC Marketing Manager, mentioned that the growth related to food packaging far exceeds the growth of population at present. Therefore, Dow is committed to providing better food preservation, reducing food waste, and helping recycling and sustainable development.

Regarding the automotive industry, more and more vehicles makes it a big challenge for Dow to achieve carbon emission reduction goals. With the development of electrification, lightweighting will be an unchanging trend for interior and exterior. Alex Dai emphasized that Dow is committed to helping achieve lightweighting and carbon neutral from the material side.

Sunny Sun, Strategic Integrated Solutions Director at Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Sunny Sun, Strategic Integrated Solutions Director at Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., shared how Rosti achieves sustainable development for injection molding in the automotive industry. In this sector, the company provides different solutions for target customers.

For example, using micro-foaming technology to meet the requirements of weight and cost reduction for interior and exterior. The company also developed RHCM technology to meet customers' requirement of avoiding spraying and carbon emissions reduction.

Parallel Sub-Forum: Integration and Intelligent Interior and Exterior of NEVs

Peiyun He, Interior Parts Materials Engineer at SAIC Motor Corporation Co., Ltd.

In her presentation “Research on the applications of sea-island microfiber suede in automobiles”, Peiyun He, Interior Parts Materials Engineer at SAIC Motor Corporation Co., Ltd., discussed the characteristics of the common suede production process: non-sea island structure, no fiber opening process, and more environmentally friendly process. The application of suede in auto parts is mainly processed through fabric lamination process.

As explained, SAIC Motor adjusts the mold temperature of the ceiling process to 120°C and the temperature parameters of the column process to 210°C, so that the application of suede in auto parts performs well. 

Steven Sun, Sales Director-China, Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Steven Sun, Sales Director-China, Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., shared the innovative solutions of dry ice blasting technology for manufacturing of new energy vehicles. One of the main application areas is manufacturing of electric vehicle battery, which includes mixer and injection mold cleaning, adhesive removal, surface preparation, etc.

Meanwhile, other applications of dry ice blasting technology include cleaning of leather pattern mold, welding fixture, polyurethane product mold and die casting mold, pre-spraying treatment, etc.

Xiaofei Shi, Business Development and Key Account Manager, Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

In her sharing, Xiaofei Shi, Business Development and Key Account Manager, Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. talked about how built-in antimicrobial technology redefines the cleanliness for automotive interior, such as center console panel, air conditioning system, steering wheel, leather, flooring, and more.

Automotive interiors are facing the threat of bacteria, and Microban's built-in antimicrobial technology can add antimicrobial agents to a variety of materials, including masterbatch, liquid, powder, plastic, coating, and textile, he introduced. As such, the antimicrobial effect of the products are long lasting, the risk of cross-contamination is reduced, and is not affected by cleaning agents.

Haiming Gu, Senior Engineer of Injection Molding Process Platform, Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd.

In his presentation “The Road on Upgrading the Efficiency and Automation of Injection Molding”, Haiming Gu, Senior Engineer of Injection Molding Process Platform, Yanfeng Plastic Omnium Automotive Exterior Systems Co., Ltd., explained how the company considers the efficiency of injection molding machines from three aspects: cycle time, injection loss, and energy consumption.

He also talked about the transformation of the injection molding model. From his observation, the traditional production model mainly relies on manpower, but the revolution of production model brought about by innovation can realize automation. This new model controls production through MES, and it can realize automated handling and loading.

Concurrent solutions and products showcase

The conference was also supported by a number of sponsors who showcased their innovative solutions concurrently, including:

Guangdong Yizumi Precision Machinery Co.,Ltd.

Avient Corporation

SHANGHAI-FANUC Robomachine Co.,Ltd.

Hongrita Precision Component (Zhongshan) Ltd.

JSW Machinery Trading (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.

LKIMM

Star Advanced Materials (Shandong) Co., Ltd.

Tederic Machinery Co.,Ltd.

Wittmann Battenfeld (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

CHEN HSONG

Suzhou Sunway Polymer Co., Ltd.

Böhler Special Steels (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Synventive Molding Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

ARBURG (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd

Cold Jet Dry Ice Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Microban International Trading (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Rosti Integrated Manufacturing Solutions (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.

Dow