BMC in Transportation Industry

Headlamp Reflectors
Headlamp reflectors, car body panels and under-bonnet parts are extremely demanding technical applications. When compared with the other materials and technologies currently in use-steel stamping, thermoplastic injection, and aluminum die casting and magnesium, BMC offers many benefits that allow system suppliers and carmakers to optimize their design-to-cost process.

Now all most 100% of the European, North American and Japanese car and Truck Producers use headlamp reflectors made of BMC. (That means over 15 million vehicles in Europe alone per year). This impressive success has been achieved thanks to the excellent blend of BMC properties.

BMC has a coefficient of linear expansion similar to steel- so precise inter face tolerance are possible. These two properties set BMC ahead of the thermoplastic materials. And since car producers are continuously looking for weight reduction, the low specific gravity of BMC parts is an added benefit. In terms of manufacturing, fully automated and flexible production lines, fast cycle times (well below 1 minute) with double impression tools, enable BMC to be economically competitive in volume production.

Body Panels
The key benefits of BMC in body panel application are similar.

	Very low coefficient of thermal expansion (very close to steel), which means a close and constant fit between steel and composite panels.
	"Class A" surface profile identical to a steel or aluminum panel
	Thermal resistance of the BMC makes it suitable for on-lining painting
	Parts consolidation means that several components and functions can be integrated within a single complex part, reducing secondary assembly operations.
	Tight and consistent part complex
	Weight reduction: a BMC panel can typically be up to 30% lighter than an equivalent steel panel
	Lower tooling costs compared to steel and aluminum makes low series and more frequent model changes less expensive

Under the Bonnet
Under bonnet parts in BMC illustrate further beneficial properties of BMC (including variants like TMC, CIC, SGM). In addition to the advantages already mentioned, rocker box covers- for example- benefit from the following:

	Creep resistance of the BMC, especially at working temperature, is a important advantage over the thermoplastics.
	The corrosion and chemical resistances of BMC enables it to withstand the demanding tests of the car industry (exposure to petrol, diesel, cooling liquids and water, for example)
	The excellent noise absorption of BMC contributes towards the environmental; and comfort requirements of the car industry.