Spot on headlights

Who doesn’t anticipate their 18th birthday? Now you can finally get your driver’s license. To make things even more perfect, some family member wants to get rid of an old car. It doesn’t matter what the model is, and you don’t care about rust or a few scratches. The most important thing is that the engine works. Power-assisted steering, parking assistant systems, or anti-lock brakes, who needs all this?

Just wait and see. Your requirements might be changing sooner than you think. Even the most modest new drivers soon have their eyes on newer, technically more sophisticated car models. Bayer plastics are ideal materials for car designers to realize their visions. In no other material can the properties be tailored over such a wide range as plastics. And no material is so easy to process and so versatile.

For instance, headlights. Some people claim they can identify cars in the dark simply from their headlights. That’s just what automobile manufacturers want. They want their cars to have a distinct look even at night. However, this important detail of a car is not only a design issue but it is also crucial for safety. Especially in the dark you need a good view. That can be quite a challenge. It’s both smart and clever when manufacturers use the transparent plastic Makrolon and put the know-how of the Bayer plastics experts to use.

Today, the Audi A6, Opel Astra or Renault Clio all contain Makrolon. Their headlights have diffusers made of this plastic. Compared to the conventional glass headlights, this saves up to one kilogram weight per headlight. Another strong plus compared to glass is the break resistance of Makrolon. The headlights even survive falling rocks without damage and don’t splinter in the event of a collision.

Automotive engineers and designers also use the wonderful world of colors offered by plastics. Today the production of “eyes” that are seamlessly fitted into the auto body is much easier than before. Smooth surfaces without unpleasant edges - it’s exactly this kind of detail that puts the dot on the “i” of a great design.