Johnson Controls applies PP film to claim auto awards; KM takes home three

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class door panel and rear-side panel of the new Mini Convertible earned Johnson Controls GmbH (Burscheid, Germany) two interior-system prizes at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Central Europe’s 12th Automotive Div. Awards. The door panel earned marks for overall quality and a scratch-resistant map pocket, with the rear side panel also offering a scratch-resistant surface. The new Mercedes door panels are 10% lighter than the previous model and represent a full subassembly with map pocket, center panel, armrest, and upper trim panel. Johnson Controls also integrated ambient lighting above the door’s center panels and in the door handles, with sun shades built into the rear door. The company says this allowed it to improve the window cover in a minimum of space.

Johnson Controls opted for what it calls polypropylene (PP) thin film for a variable degree of glossiness that can match other components’ finish. A Johnson Controls representative told MPW that the technology, which it presented for the first time at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show before launching it at the end of last year, was used for the map pocket of the E-Class door panel and in the rear side panel of the new Mini Convertible.

The PP thin film consists of a composite foil constructed from several, primarily PP layers, which are manufactured in a direct mold-behind process. According to Johnson Controls, the film is extruded by its partner Nordenia, and then preformed at Johnson Controls' production plant. The preformed film is then back-injection molded and inmold grained.

The process allows all types of PP to be used as substrates, even fiber-glass-reinforced and recycled materials. Johnson Controls says that unlike painted component surfaces, the foils are not easily scratched, and since their gloss level can also be varied, they can more easily match the finish of adjacent components.

The company pitches the new foil for all interior components designed to be covered with foil for protection, like painted surfaces. Depending on the design, a one- or two-step production process can be applied, with a two-step system used for deep-molded products, like the map pockets in the doors.

At the same awards, processing equipment supplier KraussMaffei’s (KM; Munich) machinery was utilized in three award-winning parts in the body exterior and powertrain categories. A support element for the louvered grille of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Coupe took the top prize in the Body Exterior category, applying a metallic effect without extra painting. In the same category, KM won for a bodywork component on a forage harvester that used KM reaction machinery. In the Powertrain category, a glass-fiber-reinforced roll restrictor for the Opel Insignia was recognized. The component is manufactured with a KM system that controls the concentration of reinforcing fibers to deliver maximum strength with minimum weight. At the SPE Automotive Awards 2007, KM also took home three awards. This year’s awards were presented on June 12, at the Swissotel hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany. —[email protected]