Automotive interior shows took place recently in Michigan and Germany; here’s your DVN-Interior topical look at both of them.
Auto Interiors Expo Europe (Stuttgart, 12-14 November)
This year’s Automotive Interiors Expo Europe provided a grand venue for visitors to source new products and suppliers as they work to propel their user experience offerings. We could see high-tech materials, new interior concepts, lighting solutions, plastic metallization, haptic and UI technologies, UI foams, sewing and cutting machines, and much more.
Over 120 exhibiters put on their show-and-tell alongside the free, three-day Innovation Showcase with technical sessions covering design trends, technology integration, comfort and ergonomics, sustainability, safety innovation, user experience (UX), and future mobility concepts.
Melexis
Traditional CAN and LIN communication protocols are growing outmoded, reaching the limits of their ability to handle the demands of fast multichannel LED and RGB-LED drivers. Melexis has developed a solution they call MeLiBu. It is a fast, robust communication system designed for applications with large numbers of LEDs and intricate animations.
MacDermid Alpha
MacDermid Alphas presented a luxury alternative ‘smart’ surface called XtraForm 3D Matt. It is a low-gloss, deep-formable, hard coated polycarbonate film.
Visually, XtraForm 3D Matt’s first surface is inherently anti-glare. It can be decorated on the second surface in any color or pattern, creating many options for designers. XtraForm 3D Matt also fully supports hidden-til-lit and other ‘smart’ surface features common to the XtraForm Film Insert Molding (FIM) process. Unlike traditional gloss piano black finishes, XtraForm 3D Matt provides a consistent matt appearance, resulting in a luxurious contemporary finish.
Polymer Optics Automotive
Door and IP backlighting with natural and sustainable material laminates such as stone, leather and wood can be achieved with minimal LED sources. By advanced control of light distribution and uniform light extraction using Polymer Optics Automotive’s (POAL) lasered structure methods, the company can produce complex illuminations with low-profile package design.
Yuan Heng Tai (YHT)
YHT has been making water transfer printing films for three decades. They showed a new IMD film product, which offers more than just a pattern. After injection molding, the surface offers realistic texture with a hardness of 2H. This harmonious blend of design, texture and durability creates decorative elements for the automotive industry.
Toppan
Toppan unveiled their latest innovative interior components to seamlessly integrate the information display with interior panels. Their new Transparent Decorative Film, crafted with proprietary printing technology, creates a surface that allows for a flawless integration of display and design.
L:A:S
L:A:S’ expertise is in punching. Besides laser perforation, they offer a wide array of services and materials, including laminated hot-melts, high-frequency welding for embossing or decoration; printed fabrics for interiors, and stitching and embroidery to improve the aesthetics of vehicle interiors.
H.B. Fuller
H.B. Fuller showed their Thermonex One 301-01A adhesive solution. This water-based PUR adhesive is used for single-side interior lamination where very good sag resistance and adhesion are required. It provides good hydrolysis stability, high heat resistance and very low odor (value 3.0 according to VW norm, per internal testing). It is suitable for substrates like animal and alternative leathers, textiles, pre-treated olefines, wood, ABS and more. It may be fixed in vacuum, press or manual lamination.
Key benefits include reduced parts handling, spray time, and overspray. The adhesive lowers the risk of pollution on the A-surface. Its single-side application generates a higher output and overall cost savings.
Helcor-Leder-Tec
Helcor materials are used in the likes of seats, door panels, dashboards and steering wheels. Their patented finishing process offers broad design possibilities and high technical performance. A natural leather structure as well as technical surfaces such as carbon-look can be produced, and split leather treated by Helcor can be called « real leather » without any restrictions.
In recent years, alternative backing materials have been added to genuine leather and finished using the same process. These new backing materials, such as microfiber nonwovens, spacer fabrics or leather fiber fabrics, are mostly made from recycled raw materials. Helcor also uses renewable, natural raw materials such as flax. This diversity makes it possible to combine one and the same surface on different substrates and to match them for use in the vehicle.
Griffine Industries
Griffine’s Calligram is an innovative process to customize synthetic leather for automotive interiors. It responds to standout market trends of customization, ‘smart’ surfaces, and sustainability.
The process can create embossed and debossed patterns on the same surface, which can be colored on demand. Calligram-coated fabrics can be backlit or used in heating surfaces. The manufacturing process creates high-quality textiles such as 3D textiles and temperature-sensitive fabrics. It is a sustainable solution, using bio-based and recycled components and minimizing waste with a made-to-measure process.
Elematec
Elematec’s vegan leather made from eco-friendly cork consumes up to 90 per cent less energy with 80 per cent less solvent versus conventional leather. The supplier’s synthetic recycled polyester fiber/fabric is made from plastic bottles.
Cork has a unique pattern and woodlike texture, and can be obtained repeatedly without cutting down trees. And stripped of its bark, the tree absorbs three to five times more CO2 than usual, making it extremely environmentally friendly. Cork is lightweight, elastic, and has excellent heat and sound insulation properties. Furthermore, it is porous, and its microscopic cellular structure bonds with resin materials to provide a high degree of safety and durability.
Cyclone Technology
Cyclone aims to produce high-quality, functional and differentiated green fibers through recycled technology using waste bottles and waste textiles as raw materials and construct a closed-loop recycling industry chain.
The company’s recycled fibers include recycled ocean yarn, using plastic bottles retrieved from the ocean as raw material; 100-per-cent recycled eco-friendly peachlike yarn; 100-per-cent recycled high-shrinkage fiber made with ultrafine sea island fiber; antibacterial fiber; anti-UV fiber; and flame-retardant fiber with safe and stable qualities. They can be applied in seats, inner door panels, carpets, steering wheels, handles, and other automotive parts.
InSum
The InSum Interior WebApp visualizes trend scouting results, provides insights into trend topics based on components, functions and materials in automotive interiors, and highlights new business potential in the growing field of interior design.
Covestro
Covestro presented impressive illuminated samples as part of their huge product range including foams, adhesives, coatings, elastomers, TPU composites and, crucially, high-performance polycarbonates—all within their fully-circular strategy with solutions like water-based PU coatings, more sustainable EV Wallbox chargers, recycled Makrolon grades, and ‘smart’ interior lighting.
DNP
Polypropylene (PP) is used in large quantities of automobile parts, and can be recycled. Further growth is expected in the future. However, when PP is used as a base for decorative films, challenges have included weak ink adhesion and the difficulty of maintaining the balance of high-quality design, physical properties, and moldability. DNP has overcome these challenges by dint of the printing technology and expertise they’ve cultivated over many years to establish a mass-production technology for PP-based automotive decorative films.
Mocom
Mocom showed many impressive samples and applications selected from their diverse portfolio of over 4,000 products. Material techniques in their scope include PPS, PA-HT, PA, PC, PC blends, ABS, PP, TPV with special properties in terms of temperature, mechanics, optics, conductivity, tribology, surfaces, and numerous other aspects.
Auto Interior Expo North America (near Detroit, 22-24 October)
North America’s show introduced the Innovation Showcase and the InteriVision Summit alongside the exhibition. The Innovation Showcase hosted special short sessions. Chris Williams, mobility sales manager at Sefar (precision fabrics from monofilaments), started things off with his presentation on innovative heating for interior components; Andrew Dubel, business development manager at Fujikura America (seatbelt reminder and seat heater) , spoke about accomplishing more with less and designing smarter; Jaiprakash Ramani, chief marketing officer for automotive at Supreme Group, talked about sustainable nonwovens for automotive interior plating; Taiyo Manufacturing’s global sales supervisor, Pablo Javier Ramos Cuevas, looked at the sustainability of chromate in terms of trivalent and hexavalent chromium-free plastic plating; and Karen Guzmán, automotive and sustainability manager at Covestro, explored the evolution of decorative and structural parts with functional integration.
Dow presented their LuxSense multilayer composite silicone leather as the first PU, PVC, or silicone synthetic leather to compete with natural leather on performance and exceed it on sustainability. The silicone-organic hybrid materials involved combine the advantages of silicone (aesthetics, flame, stain, chemical and UV resistance, durability) with those of organics (outstanding abrasion resistance) in a cost-effective, sustainable system—lower VOC, free of plasticizers, DMF, and harmful solvents. It meets automotive interior specifications, including car seating applications, and Dow says it hits the right spot on a ‘4S’ basis: sight, smell, sensation and sustainability.
Adhetec displayed their Adheform system as a tailor-made solution for high-volume production, seamlessly integrated into any manufacturing process. Program manager Léonard Berne said, « Our company offers a comprehensive range of products designed to protect a wide variety of materials, including PP, NFPP, ABS, PC/ABS, natural and synthetic leather, TPO, PVC, mesh fabric, sponge, PET fabric and textile fabrics. Our streamlined processes are designed to meet the specific deadlines our customers require, whether for samples, prototypes, or full production launches ».
Toyobo showed their high-strength resins for metal replacement and lightweighting, including Glamide JF-30G – a 70% glass-filled nylon material. Company representative Alex Geelhood said his company’s high-strength resins provide weight reduction, cost savings, and other advantages.
The one-day InteriVision conference brought speakers from the likes of VW Design Center, Forvia, Pebble Mobility, Yanfeng, and JLR. Discussions included humancentric design philosophy, the evolution of the ‘smart’ cockpit, mobility for all, and the creative synergy between engineering and design.
Yanfeng CTO Patrick Nebout spoke on how to innovate for intuitive automotive interiors user experience; Maggie Kasper, advanced sales manager at Forvia Interior Systems, spoke about leveraging automotive interior surfaces for an intuitive user experience; and Nishatha Nagarajan, a semiconductor engineering technical specialist at JLR, gave a presentation on ADAS and UX-driven semiconductor advances and ‘AI’ in automotive.
Vehicle-supplier association MEMA represents more than 1,000 companies which supply original-equipment components, aftermarket parts, and heavy-duty equipment to the global vehicle manufacturing industry. “We’re here to connect with our valued members and explore how we can continue to support their growth,” said Alison Trumble, director of marketing and membership at MEMA. “By engaging directly with key stakeholders, we aim to learn about the latest trends, technologies and challenges in the sector, ensuring that MEMA remains a trusted advocate and resource for the entire supplier community.”
Lori Mavis, associate director of product management at Publicis Sapient, led a session that explored pioneering features from the 1970s to the present day and the trends shaping the smart cockpits of today and tomorrow.
Taiyo Technology developed their Chrome-6-free plating, because automakers like Ford, Stellantis, and GM, Rivian, and Lucid, are taking a very active approach toward the adoption of (much less toxic) trivalent chrome for their new chrome colors.
Nick Flannery, a senior engineer at Toyota Boshoku America, spoke about providing an overview of TBA’s vision for future mobility, encompassing the company’s current products and capabilities, and highlighting its focus on creating accessible and inclusive mobility.
A presentation from the VW Design Center discussed creative synergy between engineering and design to unleash innovation and highlighted the pluralistic and interconnected nature of design through examples from the automotive industry, product design and architectural history. « I value and work always side by side with engineering in a very inclusive synergy », said Rodrigo Galdino, interior design lead at VW Design Center. « New tools like Blender and AI revolutionized the design process, and seeing how CMF became one of the biggest player, nowadays changed the whole perception of car as a product, together with new technology on board with the EV rise in recent years and AI on board. »
