Trocellen PE foam air ducts
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Trocellen PE foam air ducts are produced in a twinsheet process patented by Trocellen.

The PE foam can be thermoformed into complex geometries and air ducts for diverse application areas within the vehicle can be realised. The possibility to include reinforcement ribs, different fixation methods and other individual solutions allow the construction of air ducts meeting high demands.
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Properties
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Due to the properties of the closed-cell PE foam the air ducts show excellent advantages compared to rigid plastic ducts:
- Weight reduction – up to 65 % lighter than solid air ducts
- Thermal insulation improvement – reduction of energy loss
- No condensation – no bacteria
- Acoustic noise reduction – less noise, no squeak & rattle
- Odourless material – no smell, no fogging
- Easy assembly – high flexibility, good restoring behaviour
- Easy production process – thermoforming and cutting
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Trocellen PE foam air ducts in serial production
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Trocellen PE foam air ducts are already used in different car application areas by various car manufacturers:
Centre console
- VW Touareg
- AUDI Q7
- PORSCHE Cayenne
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Doors
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| Rear leg room
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Instrument panel
- Under development at BMW (SOP 2009)
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Comparison Matrix – soft PE foam vs. rigid PP air ducts
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SOFT AIR DUCT |
RIGID AIR DUCT |
| Material |
XLPE foam |
PP solid |
| Process |
twin sheet forming |
blow moulding |
| Weight |
15 – 35 % |
100 % |
| Acoustic properties |
+ |
- |
| Squeak & rattle |
+ |
- |
| Thermal insulation |
+ |
- |
| Fogging |
+ |
+ |
| Burning rate (FMVSS 302) |
< 100 mm/min |
< 100 mm/min |
| Heat resistance (°C) |
-30/+105 |
-30/+105 |
| Recycling |
+ |
+ |
| Other criteria |
flexible part |
highly stiff part |
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easy transport |
delicate transport |
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easy assembly |
difficult assembly |
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easy sealing |
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| Add on parts |
injection moulded cap |
sealing |
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Downloads
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