POTICON Showcased at US Automotive Composite Materials Conference in Detroit

Outline

On April 30th, 2013, Otsuka Chemical participated for the first time in the 7th annual SPE (Society of Plastics Engineering) AutoEPCON Conference in Detroit, Michigan, the heartland of the American automotive industry.

The annual conference showcases the latest advances in materials technology for the automotive industry, as well as application developments for thermoset and thermoplastic engineering plastics.

At Otsuka Chemical’s booth, the company exhibited products with a special focus on POTICON, a composite material that combines engineering plastics with a variety of different additives. To provide visitors with a deeper understanding of its product, the company demonstrated the comparative advantages of POTICON over alternative materials through data illustrating its superior frictional stability and sliding performance. In addition, participants were also able to get a first-hand look at sample components that actually employ POTICON.

Many of the participants were technical experts from major American automotive manufacturers and parts manufacturers, and it was a fantastic opportunity to network and ascertain the current state of the market for plastic materials for automobiles.

According to research papers presented at the conference, plastic automotive components are positioned for substantial growth given the material’s ability to contribute to lighter vehicles and lower gas costs. This, in turn, will result in greater demand toward materials manufacturers from automakers.