Collaborating with MOCOM, a compounding and recycling specialist, and Winning Plastics, a leading plastic processor, Audi is mass-producing painted radiator grilles with a blend of polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recyclates for the first time.

The painted radiator grilles made from the PC+PET recyclates are for the new Audi A3 Sportback and Audi A3 Sedan.

Audi A3 Sportback.

The partners developed a recycled compound that partially incorporates painted scrap components from the production. MOCOM’s innovative process, particularly in paint removal, ensures the required purity of the recyclate, enabling a closed-loop recycling system.

Paint removal for recycling

The recycling process starts with the post-industrial materials, which are scrap parts from production. these are painted radiator grilles with purely cosmetic defects, such as dust inclusions.

After the defective parts are shredded into about 30mm pieces, they are then processed in a hammer mill designed by MOCOM. In this process, the paint is removed primarily through fiction, and the resulting debris is vacuumed away. The paint residue is discarded, while the de-painted PC+PET material is further processed into regranulate.

After that, during extrusion, the plastic mass undergoes fine melt filtration, where it is passed through special filters. The resulting PC+PET recyclate is then blended at a nominal 27% into the production of new radiator grilles for vehicle manufacturing.