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TAFNEX™ CF/PP and 3D-printed components developed by the Mitsui Chemicals Group find application in Toyota Fortuner-based car designed by TCD ASIA
TOKYO, June 26, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo:4183; President & CEO: HASHIMOTO Osamu) and subsidiary ARRK Corporation (Osaka; President & CEO: MOROZUMI Naoki) today announced that materials developed by the two companies have been employed in a high-performance concept car based on the Toyota Fortuner. Direct pellet-fed 3D-printed components*1 jointly developed by Mitsui Chemicals and ARRK, and TAFNEX™ CF/PP*2 – a unidirectional carbon fiber-reinforced polypropylene resin sheet developed by Mitsui Chemicals – have found application in the TOYOTA Hyper-F CONCEPT, which has been designed by TCD ASIA CO., LTD.*3 (Bangkok, Thailand; President: KAWAZOE Takayuki).
TAFNEX™ CF/PP and the newly developed direct pellet-fed 3D-printed components will be exhibited at Bangkok Auto Salon 2024, a custom car show taking place in the Thai capital from June 26–30, and at Bangsaen Grand Prix 2024, a car race that will be held on the outskirts of Bangkok from July 3–7.
The TOYOTA Hyper-F CONCEPT is a high-performance concept model with a styling design that incorporates the road handling and aerodynamic performance cultivated in the racing field by TCD ASIA’s motorsport business. The new materials have enabled the company to further reduce the concept car’s weight. In addition, the fitting of four sport seats provides a new mode of enjoyment that users cannot experience in a two-seater vehicle.
TAFNEX™ CF/PP has been used for decorative components on part of the front bumper and the hood air vents, while the direct pellet-fed 3D-printed components are fitted to the hood air duct bezels.
*1 Direct pellet-fed 3D-printed components
In 2020, Mitsui Chemicals launched an investment and business alliance with Dreams Design Corporation (Nagoya, Aichi; Representative Director: OKUMURA Yasuyuki), an engineering service provider focused on automobile development. Then, in 2023, Mitsui Chemicals embarked on a similar investment and business alliance with ExtraBold Inc. (Toshima-ku, Tokyo; CEO: HARA Yuji), a manufacturer of direct pellet-fed 3D printers.
The 3D-printed components fitted to the concept car bring together the auto part design technology of Dreams Design; ExtraBold’s EXF-12 3D printer, which delivers high-speed printing of large parts; the 3D printing and post-processing technologies of ARRK, one of Japan’s largest product development support companies in this industry, offering everything from prototyping to mass production; and the polyolefin-based composite technology being developed by Mitsui Chemicals for use in 3D printing.