Automotive air bags deploy at high subsonic velocities. Materials designed to survive in this regime must demonstrate both ductility and structural integrity across a wide temperature range. We have developed families of air-bag products that can handle this environment and deliver appearance and cost benefits as well.

For painted surfaces or hidden air-bag structures, several specialized DEXFLEX® TPOs provide a critical balance of stiffness and impact resistance. These materials are being extruded into side-curtain air-bag retainers or injection molded for driver and passenger air-bag covers. There are also grades designed for instrument panels that accommodate seamless deployment doors for passenger-side systems.

New materials have been developed to provide enhanced surface properties specifically for one-shot mold-in-color applications. These advanced TPOs provide a balance of soft feel combined with structural stiffness, as replacements for more expensive materials such as SEBS. Because these grades are intended to be integrally colored, they can eliminate the need for paint, while delivering the controlled gloss and texture that interior designers prefer.

DEXFLEX® TPOs for air-bag systems — Technical Data

Several highly specialized thermoplastic materials have been commercialized for use in air-bag doors, covers, retainers, and related system components. For a technical data sheet containing a list of performance and processing properties, click on any of the materials listed below:

Use the ‘Contact Us’ button at right to receive technical data on new one-shot mold-in-color materials that we are designing specifically for unpainted air-bag applications.