Toyota Boshoku and Mitsui in Plastics Alliance

Automotive component manufacturer Toyota Boshoku, part of the Toyota group, will partner with Mitsui Chemicals to commercialize a high impact-resistant plastic as a resin modifier.  Under a recently concluded license agreement, Mitsui Chemicals will use Toyota Boshoku’s patented technology to manufacture and market the plastic from 2018. The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2016.

Developed by Toyota Boshoku and Toyota Central R&D Labs, the material is a polymer alloy made from PA 11, PP and a Mitsui Chemicals’ compatibilizer. By controlling the phase structure of the PA and PP at the nano-level, an efficient impact absorbing structure is created that is claimed to achieve top level impact resistance.

Toyota Boshoku has developed a method of using the plastic as a resin modifier, not just for interior car parts such as seating and door trims but also for other automotive parts that demand high impact resistance. The parts maker believes its technology can contribute to increased safety in cars but also expects increasing applications in other non-automotive applications.

Mitsui Chemicals said it plans to also sell the plastic in the industrial and consumer goods markets and will use its technical expertise and sales channels in the years ahead to expand the material’s use as a modifier.