Volvo Trucks is using polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin, made in part out of recycled plastic bottles, for the brackets of the side air deflection system in all seven models of its 2012 Volvo VN family of heavy trucks.
“The need to improve fuel efficiency and dramatically reduce weight is pushing truck manufacturers to find light-weighting solutions,” said Kenneth Miller, sustainability general manager for technology and innovation at SABIC Innovative Plastics, maker of the Valox iQ resins used by Volvo. “For example, some heavy-truck manufacturers are trying to reduce their models’ weights from six tons to five tons.”
SABIC’s Valox iQ resin contains up to 60% post-consumer recycled content and provides comparable or better performance than conventionally manufactured materials, including resistance to impact, chemicals, and stress fatigue, the company said.
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