Covestro optimising PU foaming process with ‘digital simulations’

Leverkusen, Germany – Covestro AG has developed digital material models and calculation methods to support the simulation of the polyurethane (PU) foaming process, particularly for the automotive industry.

The simulation technology, said Covestro in a statement 6 Oct, is supported by “powerful computing capacities” and can provide digital verification for specific components, from instrument panels to interior trim.

According to Covestro, the focus is on simulation calculations that shorten development cycles, reduce complexity and costs, and mitigate risks.

The process involves simulating structure and form, as well as creating a digital twin of the possible manufacturing process.

This, Covestro said, involves relying on the science of materials modelling to simulate the foaming process.

An example, said the German materials company, is the production of automotive instrument panels using its Bayfill semi-rigid PU foams.

The digital twin enables suppliers and car makers to receive detailed information about the processing behaviour of the material as early as the design phase, said Dagmar Ulbrich, head of automotive systems R&D at Covestro.

The data, he said, will be available to the manufacturers "before real experiments or trials are necessary." 

"This helps identify potential challenges early on, when product and tooling changes can still be made at low cost," Ulbrich pointed out.