Volatile Organic Compound Testing with Autoliv

VOC testing is driven by the demand from car manufacturers to ensure that the occupants are not subjected to harmful gases or objectionable smells. The standard airbag fabric emissions testing protocol, VDA277 Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), requires the use of an accredited testing laboratory. However, the turnaround time of third party testers can be up to five weeks. This significantly slows down the screening phase of our airbag material development cycle.

Our goal is to develop a faster in-house test method that can be used to give an indication of TVOC levels. The new test is not intended to fully replace the existing protocol but rather complement the accredited testing, and can thus be at a lower resolution.

Ideally, this test could be performed quickly to increase the number of screening test loops that can be performed for new airbag materials and coatings. Moreover, it could provide instant feedback to tune and optimize the coating process.

Autoliv is looking for partners with knowledge of fabric emissions testing and process emissions monitoring such as VDA277 or Global Automotive Declaration Substance List. During the collaboration, you will have access to our expertise and resources in the industry, as we validate and scale the solution further.

Given that a provider is able to demonstrate the viability of the solution, it can be scaled to all airbag coating plants and later even to other product lines at Autoliv manufacturing facilities. We are most interested in off-the-shelf and capital-efficient solutions that could be applied to our production process as soon as possible.