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Tough and durable body parts for the automotive industry are being made from
a combination of polypropylene and glass fibre. The colour is built into the
composite. Ex-Press Plastics of Loddon near Norwich, which developed the new
material, is making moulded bumpers, cowlings and car body parts from it.
Instead of making a part and painting it, Ex-Press adds the colour in the form
of a powder then combines layers of powdered polypropylene and glass fibre to
form the finished piece. The resulting material, called Smoothtex, is stronger
than conventional moulded plastic parts and keeps its colour longer.