The automotive industry is changing rapidly. Safety, reduced environmental impact and cutting-edge technology are key driver requirements, and Rain Carbon's products enable automakers to meet 21st-century expectations.
Automobile manufacturers worldwide are increasingly turning to aluminum as the key material in their vehicles and components to reduce weight, improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions. Rain Carbon's coal tar pitch (CTP) and calcined petroleum coke (CPC) products are essential materials required for the production of primary aluminum.
Rain Carbon and its legacy businesses have long been producers and suppliers of carbon black oils for conversion to carbon black used in truck and automobile tires, as well as for mechanical hoses. Our presence extends into the automotive end market with coumarone-indene resins produced in our distillation facilities, which are added to synthetic rubber formulations to improve their grip and reduce the rolling resistance of high performance tires. These resins, distributed under the brand name NOVARES®, improve the mechanical properties of car tires and contribute to safer and more energy-efficient driving – especially during poor weather conditions.
We also provide components of the binder system used to produce advanced carbon-ceramic brake disks that weigh about 50 percent less than traditional brake disks, have better wear resistance, virtually eliminate brake dust emissions, and reduce the weight of the vehicle by up to 20kg, all while significantly improving response.
Our CTP products also are used in a variety of specialty automotive electrical applications. Electric vehicles depend on high performance lithium-ion batteries. In concert with other researchers, Rain Carbon specialists have advanced the use of special pitches in the anode-grade graphite essential to in the manufacture of these batteries.
Carbon brushes used in electric engines use binders made from our CTPs, and the copper wire windings found in electrical engines are insulated with cresol mixtures that we provide.
Chemical feedstocks produced at our distillation facilities also contribute to plastics in automobile manufacture. Our pure acetophenone serves as a basic material protecting PVC plastics from heat and ultraviolet light. Our naphthalene is processed into high-performance polymers used for the production of shock absorbers. Naphthalene derivatives ß-naphthol and H-acid contribute to a wide range of dyes used for coloring plastics such as those in the rear lights of cars.
Finally, several Rain Carbon's products improve automotive coatings. Our carbon black pigments for high optical density ensure intensive colors, while Violet 23 produced from our carbazole increases the gloss and brightness of dark colors.