As global environmental awareness rises, Taiwan has confirmed that new locomotive sales will be fully electrified from 2035 and the production and sale of fuel engines will be banned in order to solve the problem of air pollution. However, in addition to the mobile pollution emitted by the locomotive, the volatile organic substances (VOC) added in the traditional locomotive manufacturing process is also one of the reasons for the formation of suspended particulates PM2.5. In order to effectively reduce VOC and reduce the formation of PM2.5, Covestro's newly developed Bayhydrol and Bayhydur waterborne polyurethane coating technology can help the automotive industry coating technology to smoothly change from "oil" to "water". In addition, Covestro's polyurethane (including thermoplastic), polycarbonate and thermoplastic composite materials can provide the latest lightweight, longer mileage solutions for electric vehicle bodies, battery packs and charging piles.
The density of locomotives in Taiwan is very high, but as a result, people's lives are exposed to traffic exhaust. According to environmental monitoring department monitoring data, about one-third of Taiwan ’s air pollution sources come from mobile pollution from automobiles and locomotives. In addition to transportation exhaust gas, traditional locomotive production and manufacturing processes, such as painting and spraying, often cause a large amount of VOC emissions due to the use of organic solvents, and even become a risk factor for industrial safety accidents.
To assist locomotive manufacturers in moving towards green manufacturing, Covestro has launched a variety of water-based coating solutions such as Bayhydrol Dispersion and Bayhydur Polyisocyanate Crosslinkers, which are suitable for one-component or two-component water-based polyurethane coatings. The solution can not only be applied to multiple coatings such as the primer, color paint, top coat and varnish of the car body shell, and can reduce VOC emissions by up to 80% during the construction process. It can also effectively improve the construction environment and reduce Occupational safety risks occur. In addition, Covestro's newly developed waterborne polyurethane coating solution has good reactivity and compared with traditional waterborne coating solutions, it reduces the baking time in the production process, which can reduce energy consumption and thus reduce the production process. CO2 emissions. Among them, the two-component water-based polyurethane coating technology features easy spraying, all-weather construction and high thickness of non-foam film. It can also bring outstanding effects to the exterior design and texture of the locomotive, and the overall construction efficiency is comparable to the solvent system.
Sun Weien, head of CAS, Coatings, Adhesives and Special Chemicals Business Unit (CAS), said: "Water-based technologies play an important role in the sustainable and green road of various industries. After years of research and development and technological innovation, Covestro's water-based coating performance is not only equivalent to or better than oil-based solutions. In order to implement the environmental protection concept in the process of industrial transformation, Covestro expects to work with manufacturers to achieve environmentally friendly goals through the practical application of water-based technologies. . "
Considering that the locomotive is mainly used for outdoor riding, it has higher requirements in terms of scratch resistance, weather resistance, UV resistance and even appearance process design. Covestro's two-component waterborne polyurethane coating technology can not only provide more than traditional solvents In addition to the effectiveness of coating technology, it can ensure that the appearance of the vehicle is as durable as new. At the same time, Covestro also provides professional and perfect cooperation and support for locomotive manufacturers to meet the requirements of coating performance and the complexity of water-based coatings.
In addition to the problem of air pollution, the development of electric vehicles still needs to solve the problems of battery capacity and driving distance. Therefore, the lightweight design of the car body and components is very important, and the charging pile has become the key to universal use. As the inventor of polyurethane and polycarbonate technology, Covestro is committed to technological innovation and leading the industry's transformation and development. In the body part, Covestro's soft polyurethane can not only be used as a motorcycle seat cushion to improve ride comfort for the rider; at the same time, thermoplastic polyurethane can also be used as other soft rubber applications such as motorcycle handlebars and tires. In addition to polycarbonate plastics, which are suitable for vehicle lights, battery packs, and interior and exterior parts of electric vehicles, the thermoplastic composite materials based on them can also be widely used in interior and exterior parts of electric vehicles. And battery case, etc., and bring a unique design texture to the product. In the application of charging piles, Covestro also provides a variety of material solutions. Among them, polycarbonate can not only help effectively reduce manufacturing costs, but also increase the service life; and rigid polyurethane can achieve the purpose of light weight.