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GM Earns Oohs and Aahs with Innovative Application of Alcryn® MPR™
Heated and cooled car seats now available in General Motors models.
WILMINGTON, DE (PRWEB) September 28, 2006 –- Those long car rides are about to be more comfortable, as hot and sticky or icy cold car seats become a thing of the past.
Advanced Polymer Alloys (APA), the world’s leading supplier of Melt-Processible Elastomers™ (MPEs), announces that its Alcryn® Melt-Processible Rubber™ (MPR) has been successfully used to create an innovative temperature control system in automobiles produced by General Motors.
The new system, which will be added to several GM platforms, including Buick and Cadillac brands, allows for a steady flow of heated or cooled air under the surface of the car seats, providing a new level of comfort for drivers and passengers. The temperature-control application involves a blow-molded bellows part made from APA’s Alcryn MPR 2080 BK grade, designed to allow contraction or expansion as needed.
Regency Plastics specified APA’s Alcryn MPR on the recommendation of General Motors. Alcryn 2080 BK was selected for its outstanding thermal performance range, flex at low temperatures and stability at higher temperatures.
“Heated seats have been around for years, but by taking advantage of specific performance properties of Alcryn MPR, innovative manufacturers can further improve the driving experience by providing cooled seats during the warmer months,” said Jeff Senich, business development manager for APA. “This gives Regency’s customers a significant market advantage, as these systems can perform flawlessly in vastly different environments. I can hear owners of these new GM cars oohing and ahhing in comfort.”
About Alcryn MPR
Alcryn MPR delivers the durable performance characteristics of rubber and easily processes on conventional plastics equipment, which provides cost savings. Alcryn MPR does not require compounding or pre-drying before processing. Since parts made from Alcryn require no vulcanization, scrap can be recycled repeatedly with no detrimental effect on performance or appearance. When compared to soft TPEs and many vulcanized rubbers, Alcryn MPR outperforms in durability, coefficient of friction, and resistance to abrasion, chemicals, oils, fuels, and long-term exposure to sunlight and other aspects of weathering. Every grade in the product line can be made flame-retardant using a concentrate supplied by APA.
About APA
Advanced Polymer Alloys (APA) is the world’s leading supplier of Melt-Processible Elastomers (MPEs).
APA’s broad line of elastomers spans the entire TPE price/performance range – from the wide appeal of soft, affordable DuraGrip™ to top-performing Alcryn MPR, the world’s only melt-processible rubber.
Bridging the gap between design vision and engineering reality, APA’s unique material innovations deliver ideal performance properties to enhance the quality, appeal, and marketability of virtually every product.
APA’s goal is to provide customers with optimal material solutions for their specific needs – whether drawing from our full MPE line or compounding custom alloys.
For more information on the company’s product line, visit APA on the Web at www.APAinfo.com or call 888-663-6005.
Alcryn®, Melt-Processible Rubber™ (MPR), DuraGrip™, and Melt-Processible Elastomers™ (MPE) are trademarks or registered trademarks of Advanced Polymer Alloys.
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