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AI enables coating of Recycled plastics
A research project aims to advance the use of recycled plastics in automotive manufacturing. With the help of artificial intelligence processes such as coating will get more predictable.
The research project “RezyPart” – a collaboration between Brose, the SKZ Plastics Centre in Würzburg, LabV Intelligent Solutions, and R.PLAST – seeks to make the use of recycled materials in automotive manufacturing more reliable and cost-effective. The goal is to develop AI-supported software capable of accurately predicting how impurities in recycled plastics affect component properties.
While recycled materials are a key element in enhancing sustainability, they often exhibit inconsistent quality. Foreign particles or varying plastic blends can influence both mechanical properties and surface behaviour. This poses a particular challenge for coating processes, as adhesion and visual quality frequently require adjustments to process parameters.
Assessing Coatability at an Early Stage
The project aims to use AI to analyse the relationships between recycled material quality, processing parameters, and component properties. In addition to mechanical characteristics, surface properties will also be considered. This could enable the coatability of components to be assessed before manufacturing begins, simplifying the selection of suitable recycled materials and reducing the effort required for pre-treatment and rework.
Funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the project will run until 2028. Its findings are expected to lay the groundwork for the increased use of high-quality recycled materials in safety-critical automotive components.
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