Automotive triumphs for 1997

SPE Automotive Div.'s 27th annual "Most Innovative Use of Plastics" awards continue to dazzle industry experts with the quality and ingenuity shown by award winners and finalists alike. The competition, held in November at BASF's Plastic Application Center in Wyandotte, MI, proved yet again that creative engineering is the hallmark among automotive plastics designers.

Without stealing any of the limelight, let it also be said that injection molding continues to be the dominant process at this event. Gas-assist and structural foam technologies were well represented. Compression-molded SMC and blowmolded applications also made headway, along with a unique process for molding TPE window seals without adhesives.

Judges for the competition reviewed 24 finalists covering seven categories; original nominations numbered about 100. Chairman-elect Bonnie Bennyhoff, Advanced Elastomer Systems, commented that the heavier-than-normal rate of high-quality submissions in this year's contest reflects a rapid pace of change within the automotive design community.

And now, the envelopes please. No, IMM didn't plan it this way, but . . . each award winner this year just happened to involve an injection molded part. Ford, GM, and Mercedes-Benz were the OEMs honored along with a variety of resin suppliers, Tier One molders, and toolmakers. Here they are, the cream of the crop.

Grand prize and Environmental winner-Carpet to car parts
Part name: Recycled nylon air cleaner housing
Innovation: First engineering plastic recycling program to provide 100 percent of the need for large-volume component production through a partnership between Ford and DuPont Automotive. DuPont's Partnership for Carpet Recycling collects and recycles 30 million lb of used nylon carpeting annually.
Vehicle: All 1997 Ford vehicles in North America that use nylon air cleaners, approximately 3 million/year
Material: DuPont Minlon mineral-reinforced nylon 6/6 with 25 percent postconsumer recycled content
Molder/tool source: Visteon/Sandusky Plastics Plant

Materials winner-Conductive TPO for fascias
Part name: Painted TPO front fasciasInnovation: First conductively modified TPO resin for electrostatically painted parts that improves transfer efficiency of TPO to levels equivalent to steel. This is accomplished while using only 4.5 wt-% carbon black filler. Other applications use Hyperion fibrils, which cost about 10 times more than carbon black.
Vehicle: 1997 Ford Sable
Material: Solvay Engineered Polymers Dexflex conductive TPO
Molder/tool source: Visteon/Utica Plant

Chassis winner-Battery pack housing for electric truck
Part name: Battery pack enclosure with integrated air flow
Innovation: Design consolidated and eliminated more than 50 parts from the former version. New design includes complex molded features for managing internal air flow, including cooling and heating batteries for optimum performance and life.
Vehicle:1997 GM S10 Electric truck
Material:Comalloy International Hiloy 610B glass- and mineral-filled nylon 6
Molder/tool source: Structural Foam Plastics Inc.

Powertrain winner-Air filter housing for heavy-duty trucks
Part name: Thermoplastic flat air filter housing
Innovation: First flat air filter housing for heavy-duty trucks and first produced using gas-assist injection molding. One of the largest components ever molded in glass-reinforced nylon, this housing reduced weight by 50 percent and cost by 30 percent over sheet metal.
Vehicle: 1997 Mercedes-Benz Actros truck with 500 series engine-30,000 vehicles produced yearly
Material: DuPont Zytel 35 percent glass-reinforced nylon 6/6
Molder/tool source: Filterwerk Mann + Hummel, Coko

Body exterior winner-Thin-wall bumper fascia for Windstar
Part name: Windstar front and rear bumper fascia
Innovation: Thin-wall design saved 8 lb/vehicle in weight, $11/ vehicle in cost. First thin-wall TPO bumper using new high-modulus resin technology. First application of sequential valve gated (SVG) hot runner manifold with mold monitoring system to reduce cycle time 30 percent.
Vehicle: 1998 Windstar
Material: Montell Hifax HSBMF762 high-flow TPO
Molder:Polycon Industries Inc.
Tool source: Paragon Tool

Body interior winner-Airbag housing for Opel Vectra
Part name: Passenger-side airbag housing
Innovation: First all-plastic housing that is capable of handling airbag deployment without shattering, yet provides 45 percent weight and 40 percent cost savings.
Vehicle: 19951Ú2 Adam Opel AG Vectra
Material: BASF Ultramid B3ZG8
Molder: AlliedSignal Automotive
Tool source: Lemforder Metalwarren, Elastmetall

Process winner-Magnasteer variable effort steering gear
Part name: Plastic injection assembly of steering gear
Innovation: Three separate injection techniques produce the variable effort steering gear-a magnet retainer is molded to the spool shaft; a coil is molded to the valve housing; and the valve housing is molded to the rack housing. Each injection cycle uses a three-plate mold in which the part itself is the back half of the mold.
Vehicles: 1998 GM Aurora/Riviera, Cadillac Seville, DeVille, Eldorado; Corvette; several Buick models; a total of approximately 750,000 vehicles annually
Materials: Ticona Fortron 1140L7 PPS and Thermofil N3-33FG-1626 glass-filled nylon 6/6
Molder: Delphi Saginaw Steering
Tool source: Hansford Manufacturing