Ford plans to use castor oil-based foam in other vehicle lines.
The new Ford Focus just going on sale in North America uses castor oil derived foam in the interior. Castor oil is derived from a flowering spurge plant, which grows throughout tropical regions. The plant’s oil offers what could be a sustainable interior foam that does not compete with food sources, according to Ford.
Ford claims the new Focus instrument panel is softer to the touch, while contains the first-row passenger airbag without a seam.
BASF, the supplier, said more than 5,000 barrels of oil will be saved for every 300,000 Ford Focus models produced in North America.
The new castor oil-based foam is said to be more durable than the previously used material, with a 36% better tensile strength – the measure of the foam’s ability to hold its shape over time and use. Tear strength also is improved by 5 %. And elongation – stretch under temperature or impact stress – is reduced by 11%.
Productivity is improved and the manufacturing process is simplified by a reduction in time for the castor oil-based foam product to cure. Scrap from this foam is also reduced due to improved flow and processing characteristics, according to Ford.
Ford was the first automaker to use soy-based foam in automotive applications, starting with its use in seats for the 2008 Ford Mustang and in headliners for the 2010 Ford Escape. Over time, Ford plans to use more castor oil-based foam products in its global portfolio.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
