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| BASF plastic chosen for multi-purpose utility vehicle Multicar of Germany first to employ thermoplastic panels and space-frame technology on commercial utility vehicle Multicar, the specialist utility-vehicle maker from Waltershausen, Germany, turned to space-frame technology when designing the driver’s cab of its latest product, the FUMO multipurpose vehicle. The cab consists of a steel frame – a so-called “space frame” – clad with adhesively bonded plastic panels, which make the vehicle much lighter and cheaper to manufacture than a conventional all-steel design. The plastic panels are thermoformed from Luran® S (ASA)* , one of BASF’s specialty styrenic polymers. *) acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate Space-frame cab A departure from well-trodden paths; a face-lift for the existing Multicar M26 (by then already eight years old); an impressive number of technically innovative features: these were the challenges that faced Multicar’s engineering team led by chief designer Matthias Cramer. The low-volume nature of specialist vehicle manufacture – Multicar’s annual output is around 1400 units – was reason enough to look for cheaper alternatives to the all-steel cab. And that wasn’t easy for a company used to working in metal. However, after two years of joint development work with Dornier/ACE, a company already experienced in plastic vehicle bodies – it made the fibre-reinforced cab on the Unimog UX 100, a small utility formerly produced by Mercedes-Benz – a prototype space-frame cab for the FUMO was ready in 1997. “When selecting the right plastic, we had to find a material that would best match the steel frame in terms of manufacturing and thermal expansion properties”, explains Matthias Cramer. Other important characteristics for such body exterior components are impact strength and temperature resistance. “After a few test series we hit upon Luran® S,” adds Cramer. Compared with Luran® S, the carbon-fibre material used on the Unimog proved to be rather heavy as well as expensive to manufacture. Luran® S is a styrene-based polymer that contains an acrylic rubber to give it high impact strength. Thanks to its excellent resistance to weathering, heat aging and chemicals, Luran® S has now been used successfully in numerous automotive applications for over 15 years. Typical examples are door mirrors, radiator grills, rear trim panels and large-area covers. Manufacture The cab’s vacuum-formed plastic panels – roof, back wall, B-pillar trim and front panel – are supplied by Formtec (Dornstetten, Germany) and then bonded to the space frame with a special adhesive at Multicar’s factory. Apart from making the cab 30 kilograms lighter, the use of Luran® S allowed the designers to give the cab’s exterior a rounder, more modern appearance. And compared with a welded pressed-steel design, the new cab is cheaper to assemble, while damaged parts are easier and cheaper to replace. “Multicar’s decision to use space-frame technology further demonstrates the great potential of plastics in vehicle panelling,” says Ursula Seeliger, head of BASF’s specialty styrenics business unit. Multicar – the multipurpose machine No doubt everybody has seen a Multicar at work without being aware of it. With over 100 different attachments available, the Multicar can do vast range of tasks from snow clearance to street-light maintenance. Communities use them for sweeping roads, cutting grass or gritting highways in winter. Airports use them to pull baggage trailers, waste-disposal companies to carry waste skips, building companies to transport construction materials. The Multicar range currently comprises the proven M26 and the new FUMO. Multicar Spezialfahrzeuge GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hako Group. The company currently employs 240 people and has an annual turnover of around Euro 50 million. Product information is available at www.luran-s.com and www.multicar.de |
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