Alcom® LDDC PC: MOCOM supplies material for large area backlit interiors

Hamburg, 05.07.2022. MOCOM have found the optimal solution for an application in the interior of the new, fully electric Volvo C40 Recharge. Five backlit decorative panels for the dashboard as well as the front doors of the car interior are realized with MOCOM Alcom® LDDC PC. By working together with Volvo Cars from early on in the design process, MOCOM was able to provide a customized solution.

The injection-molded panels have different thicknesses at different points (multi-wall thickness). Without the backlighting of LED lamps, the translucent and light-diffusing material is neutral and homogeneously black and precisely matched to the car interior. In the dark, it is backlit and due to the varying thickness of the panels, the topography of the Abisko National Park in northern Sweden can be depicted on them. Alcom® LDDC PC thus brings out a unique lighting ambience in the car interior.

The special feature: Both with and without backlighting, the areas of varying thickness exhibit no flow lines or sink marks. The production method using injection molding also makes the compound cost-efficient to manufacture, even though it has a complex geometry and combines properties that are difficult to achieve.

" We were able to develop the perfect material for this application that meets the OEM's needs," says Gustaf Eneroth, business development manager at MOCOM. "This project is a good example of MOCOM's way of working: together with our customer, we had intensive discussions to be able to precisely meet the demands of the application. We then developed several polymers that exactly met the application's specifications."

The trade press also enthuses about the Volvo C40 Recharge's interior design: "the backlit dashboard and door trim – mimicking the topography map of one of the designer’s favorite Swedish hiking spots – is a cute and visually satisfying touch," writes Top Gear, for example, while Engadget magazine considers them a "unique aspect of the experience." An impression that MOCOM makes possible with the light-diffusing material Alcom® LDDC PC.

About MOCOM

MOCOM is one of the world's leading compounders and offers the plastics processing industry a comprehensive range of technical compounds. MOCOM´s Specialties, a range of high-performance products, include the brands Alcom®, Alcom® MED, Alcom® 3D, Tedur®, Cellidor®, Alcolor®, Alperform®, while the Advanced Products are tailor-made, customized compounds, with brands like Altech®, Altech NXT PP® and Alfater XL®. The portfolio is completed by two Near-To-Prime® Recycling brands Altech® ECO and Alfater XL® ECO as well as Altech® IQ. As a former division of ALBIS PLASTIC GmbH, MOCOM builds on 50 years of experience and has more than 700 employees. At three German locations as well as in Duncan, South Carolina (USA) and Changshu (China), MOCOM produces a consistently high level of quality worldwide and according to global specifications. All sites are certified to IATF 16949. The owner-managed and financially strong Otto Krahn Group Holding, which also includes the plastics distributor ALBIS, the KRAHN Chemie Group and the plastics recycler WIPAG, defines the group-wide strategic guidelines and simultaneously assumes the role of a professional service provider.

For more information visit www.mocom.eu.