Engineered Polyolefin Saves Cost and Weight

Sequel® E3000 engineered polyolefin, a thermoforming grade produced by LyondellBasell Industries, has successfully replaced stamped metal in the cab of the Wolverine All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV).

The Wolverine is a tracked, amphibious vehicle designed for task and terrain versatility in challenging industrial and military environments. A fully enclosed cab protects the operator, passengers and sensitive equipment from the extremes of temperature and weather. The vehicle is built by a business unit of sheet-metal fabricator Dumur Industries in White City, Saskatchewan, Canada.

When Dumur Industries decided to enlarge the cab on the latest models, they took advantage of the opportunity to switch from painted metal to thermoformed plastic, which reduced both the cost and weight of the cab’s components. Pre-colored plastic would also eliminate the need for painting and the associated emissions of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), reducing both manufacturing and maintenance costs.

The conversion from metal was initially targeted for a conventionally configured sheet of ABS laminated with a cap layer of ASA for protection against weathering. The material that finally enabled these cost and weight savings is Sequel® E3000 engineered polyolefin, which is a material selected by customers for sheetstock to be used in thermoforming applications.

The excellent balance of properties provided by Sequel E3000 polyolefin addressed the requirements of the new cab components: a low coefficient of linear thermal expansion (CLTE) for dimensional stability, excellent impact resistance, low-temperature ductility, colorability and integral UV resistance. Sheet for the new cab components is extruded in color by Orion Plastics, Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The shrinkage performance of the Sequel compound is similar to that of ABS, but the engineered polyolefin offers superior dimensional stability, as well as better resistance to impact and cracking, particularly at low temperatures.

Sequel E3000 polyolefin is also inherently weatherable, eliminating the need for the ASA cap layer required by ABS sheet for UV protection. Sequel E3000 engineered polyolefin exhibits ductility at temperatures as low as –30 °C. The material can be easily processed in color, or the parts can be painted using conventional methods. Material for the Wolverine cab is delivered as an uncolored natural. Orion Plastics adds pigment during the extrusion process to produce sheetstock in a color-matched orange.

“Dumur Industries is the first OEM we know about to produce a hard-core industrial exterior in an engineered polyolefin,” said Greg Makar, Sales Manager at Orion Plastics. “New vehicles with the improved cabs are at work in the field now, and there have been no issues with cracking.”

For more information, contact Greg Makar, Orion Plastics Inc., 4028-101 St., Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6E 0A5, 780-431-2112, Fax: 780-431-2002, E-mail: gmakar@orion-plastics.com, Web: www.orion-plastics.com.