Polycarbonates pave the way in future automotive interiors

Showing the many advantages and added value of PC within automotive screen design meant making the experience something extraordinary. That’s why we at Covestro developed, together with our partners, a large, 3-dimensional display demonstrator. The over one meter installation needed to be fully functional and invite visitors to interact with its many future-ready features including touchable screens, touchable surfaces and dynamic ambient lighting. Bringing this all to life required advanced processing solutions and various technological capabilities, which were only obtainable through close cooperation and a shared vision.

Creating a functional, large-scale display that showcases the benefits of PC comes with a long list of requirements to be fulfilled. Among these are overcoming complex 3D geometries, the seamless integration of assembly structures and the precise, injection molding of large and thin components to ensure both robustness and touch sensitivity. It’s also crucial to guarantee a high optical quality and safety aspects such as head impact requirements. These demands echo the automotive trend towards interiors with large, multi-touch screens and reliable, highly durable panels.

The final display reflected the combined expertise that went into its construction and consists of a three-layer structure. The top layer is a Makrofol® film, while the middle and bottom layers are Makrolon® Ai and Bayblend®. The combination of high optical quality PC film and PC resins allows for a great degree of design freedom and component integration. The mix of material also offers high impact resistance as well as a durable, robust surface. Advanced molding processes minimize internal stress, birefringence levels, ink flush and film deformation while helping improve the production yield rate.