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The advantage of internal mold release in the production of automotive parts such as exterior fascia and body panels is well known. Recently a new type of internal mold release technology has emerged in the area of low density RIM for interior door panels. Products have been developed for both low density reinforced RIM and structural RIM applications without sacrificing physical properties. This latest technology has the potential for producing hundreds of parts after a single application of external mold release. The exact number of parts that can be obtained will vary depending on several factors including the initial condition and design of the mold. Although able to release from aluminum or steel, adhesion to vinyl cover stock is not greatly affected. Therefore, these products can be used for both pour behind vinyl and substrate only applications.

Over the past decade damping materials have contributed major improvements to passenger comfort. Noise Vibration and Harshness (NVH) engineers have further shaped material specifications to reflect key targeted properties that improve vehicle design. The specified damping material is then applied to the formed surfaces of the vehicle body to provide optimal performance and achieve the required results. This paper describes how liquid dampers have advanced to meet increased performance requirements through improved loss modulus of the final coating. Data generated by dynamic mechanical analysis shows that this viscoelastic behavior is what drives the performance in damping materials. Through the correlation of loss moduli to damping performance of Oberst bars, the mechanism can be further quantified and explained.