Asahi Kasei Corp. has established Asahi Kasei Plastics Vietnam Co., Ltd. to perform analysis by computer aided engineering (CAE) in support of the design of automotive parts made of performance plastic, as well as the design of plastic material manufacturing and molding processes, with operation scheduled to begin in June 2016.

In order to reduce vehicle weight for improved fuel economy and to decrease manufacturing costs, the automobile industry is increasingly adopting performance plastic as a substitute for metal in various vehicle parts, and to enable two or more parts to be integrated into a single complex part. As materials for automobile parts must be able to withstand harsh conditions such as heat, impact, and vibration, the need for high-precision design and simulation using CAE technology continues to rise.

Asahi Kasei has used CAE to successfully achieve several substitutions of metal with performance plastic in automotive parts such as cylinder head covers and brake brackets, and continues to work to further reinforce its product proposal ability. Asahi Kasei Plastics Vietnam Co., Ltd. will provide Asahi Kasei with enhanced CAE analysis capability to be utilized by its performance plastic operating sites in Japan, Asia, the US, and the EU for the proposal of product designs that enable vehicle weight reduction and meet other emerging needs of the automotive industry.