Engineering plastics & resin CAE services for metal replacement

Hardware accessories such as crescent locks and hinges for doors must need high strength and are thus typically made from metal. However, the plating processes required for metallic components generate waste liquids contaminated by metal ions, resulting in significant environmental impact.

Metal replacement these components with Asahi Kasei’s LEONA™ 90G or LEONA™ SG series—visually attractive materials well-suited for applications to stylish designs—yields fully functional crescent locks and hinges that are warm to the touch and manufactured without coating/plating or painting.

In addition, the use of AGI molding for resin crescent locks helps to mitigate problems associated with sink and warping.

Click here for the LEONA™ 90G50 physical properties table

Click here for the LEONA™ 91G55 physical properties table

Nuts used to fix the position of hardware components are typically made of metal. However, in automobiles and other systems containing large numbers of nuts, the weights of individual nuts add up to constitute a significant fraction of the overall system weight.

Metal replacement these components with Asahi Kasei’s LEONA™ 90G55 yielded a weight reduction of 6 g per component—or roughly 1 kg per automobile—thus helping to improve fuel efficiency. In addition, the smoother surfaces of the resinized nuts improved operating efficiency and reduced the need for repairs.

Click here for the physical properties table of LEONA™ 90G55

The chassis cases used to house air-pressure regulators (solenoid valves)—components that assist in automation and are embedded in instruments and equipment installed at manufacturing sites—must be high in strength, and thus are typically made from metal.

However, the labyrinthine networks of tiny fluid-flow pathways used to control air in these components force them to have complicated shapes, requiring lengthy multi-step manufacturing processes entailing significant material losses.

Metal replacement these components using Asahi Kasei’s LEONA™ S series of high-strength resins streamlined post-processing and helped to simplify manufacturing.

LEONA™ SH10E physical properties table

Battery cases in electric vehicles are typically made from metals such as steel or aluminum. The goal of reducing component weight to extend vehicle travel distance suggests the possibility of switching to resin materials, but typical resins cannot offer the required thermal resistance; also, cost reduction is a perennial issue.

By using Asahi Kasei’s​ continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic (c-GFRTP) to replace metals, we are able to contribute to the reduction of weight, leading to an increase in the distance traveled by automobiles.