Thin adhesive solution for car headliner

The challenge

We developed an adhesive web for an automotive supplier to support fibreglass chips before thermoforming the headliner. The prerequisite was good adhesion to decorative materials. The adhesive web also has to meet thermal stability and emission requirements. Furthermore, the product has to be supplied with a protective film to clean the sprayed isocyanate residues from the calenders after processing.

The path to our solution

We developed a co-polyester web in 14g/m2, optimised to 10g/m2 in various stages in a way that still guarantees the client’s production process due to the high tensile strength. With the LDPE film, developed in parallel, the client can also use an additional process step to clean their production system. Both the web and the substrate film are produced by Abifor and reduced to a minimal weight to save costs.

The solution

We developed a very thin web with good tensile strength. The adhesive web is thermoplastic, meaning it melts during the thermoforming process and penetrates the material. The web also adheres strongly to the decorative materials and is thermally stable up to 90 degrees. Both adhesives are now used in series production. In addition, we found two external production locations to ensure secure and reliable supply chains for the client.