LG Chem has started supplying its engineering plastics LUCON TX5007 to Mitsubishi Motors for its powder coating parts used as the front fenders of the RVR, Delica D:5 and Outlander models.

Front fender is located on the side of the vehicles, which not only acts as one of key factors in the exterior design but also protects its wheels from road debris. Thus, it not only should possess a high level of mechanical robustness but also high exterior quality to keep a high integrity design with the rest of the car body.

LG Chem supplies LUCON TX5007 to Mitsubishi Motors.

LUCON TX5007 is a compound material that combines modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE) and polyamide (PA66) alloy with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It has high electrical conductivity and shows strong mechanical properties.

Also, this product has high heat resistance, making it suitable for the automotive on-the-line painting process at 200 °C or higher. At the same time, it provides high dimensional stability thanks to its low coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE).

LUCON TX5007 is used in the front fenders of the RVR, Delica D:5 and Outlander models.

In general, applying plastics instead of steel/aluminum contributes to automotive light weight. When a plastic fender is used, the weight of the vehicle is reduced by about 4 kg, which also improves fuel efficiency. Furthermore, plastic fenders can provide other benefits, such as reduced fuel exhaust emissions and carbon footprints.

In addition to LUCON TX5007, LG Chem has a broad portfolio of products for large-scale automotive exterior parts that need to utilize powder coating process.

At the same time, the company is using CNT, a filler that produces high conductivity even with a small amount in its engineering plastics to support diverse requirements of customers. The material covers a wider range of electrical conductivity compared to other carbon fillers such as carbon black and carbon fiber.