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The Age of Plastics: Thirty Years of Automotive Innovation
The Society of Plastics Engineers began giving out the Automotive Innovation Awards in 1971. Let's take a look at the past winners.
GM's EV1 series didn't last long, but it made a big breakthrough in the construction of battery trays.
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) began giving out the Automotive Innovation Awards in 1971 to recognize breakthrough applications of plastics in the automotive industry.
Throughout the process, one consistent rule was that parts must be used in production cars, not concept cars -- even low-volume niche cars.
By the time Plastics News began publishing in 1989, SPE had awarded awards for composite body panels, tailgate assembly parts, rear rear Windows, dashboard, and radiator fan covers.
When presenting the awards, SPE identifies a number of components in a range of categories, including exterior, interior, powertrain and safety, and a panel of judges from the automotive industry, research institutions and the media selects the grand prize winners.
So, to get a sense of what's going on in the industry, let's take a look at past winners.
In 1989,
Carroll Shelby's private CSX.
Chrysler built 500 of the cars and won the 1989 Automotive Innovation Award for its composite wheels.
The composite wheels on Chrysler's Dodge Shelby CSX are made of sheet molded plastic and XMC.
The CSX is an honorary Chrysler vehicle, and the letters stand for Carroll Shelby Experimental.
The company only built 500 of the model, one of which was for the legendary designer.
In 1990,
General Motors exterior door panels, made of polycarbonate /ABS.
In 1991,
Chrysler won the 1991 award for introducing integrated child seats in its minivans.
Chrysler is relying heavily on the home application of minivans when it comes to rear seats with integrated child seats.
The child seat is made of polypropylene, glass felt thermoplastic and mesh MPPE.
The integrated seats were so popular that Chrysler even used them in its sedans, including the Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid and Eagle Vision brands.
But child seats eventually became obsolete, after minivans began offering "ready-to-use" seats.
In 1992,
Chrysler's dashboard system is made of PP/GMT, MPPE, PP and polyurethane foam.
In 1993,
Ford Motor Company's front suspension stabilizer rod, made from POM.
In 1994,
When General Motors won the award in 1994, it marked a turning point in the dominance of thermoplastics in the intake manifold field.
In the 1990s, most intake manifolds were made of aluminum.
But nylon is gaining ground.
In 1994, SPE recognized the material shift by recognizing General Motors' nylon copolymer manifold.
By 2000, plastic had taken up most of the production.
Today, the question is not whether the manifolds are made of plastic, but what kind of plastic.
In 1995,
Ford Motor Company's integrated front-end system, made from SMC.
In 1996,
It was the beginning of the era of electric cars -- or at least the modern car.
General Motors won the award for the PP and GMT structured battery trays on its EV1 models.
The EV1 series was built and leased by GM from 1996 to 1999 (it was not allowed to sell directly).
When GM stopped production of the car, there was an outcry from fans and even a documentary titled "Who Killed the Electric Car?"
General Motors returned to the electric car market in late 2010 with its Volt brand, and sales of electric vehicles are growing worldwide.
In 1997,
Ford won the award for making car parts out of nylon recycled from carpets.
In 1998,
Mitsubishi Motor's Type I bumper, made from PP and GMT.
In 1999,
DaimlerChrysler fan cover and storage tank assembly, made from PP.
In 2000,
The injection-molded energy absorbing cone used by Ford in 2000 represents an alternative from inflatable foaming.
When it comes to shock absorbers in bumper systems, Ford is looking beyond expanded polystyrene and expanded polypropylene.
The injection-molded HDPE shock absorbers are tapered between the panels and bumpers and are designed to absorb some of the impact stress by collapsing.
The system promises cost savings of 79%.
In 2001,
General Motors experimented with clay nanocomposites on optional walking AIDS in its Safari and Astro vans.
In 2002,
This year's award looks like a breakthrough.
When DaimlerChrysler began using color-molded multilayer film on bumper panels, it promised that it would make paint shops obsolete.
It is believed that suppliers of panels and other upholstery will be able to deliver finished parts that match the colour of the body without having to worry about running a paint shop.
But after the first few attempts, thin film projects largely disappeared from the automotive industry.
In the long run, there are too many variables between the OEM paint shop and the film.
In 2003,
DaimlerChrysler roof assembly made of PC copolymer.
In 2004,
Ford's door trim is made of integrated acoustic modules, instead of standard speaker assemblies, and is made of PP.
In 2005,
Honda has installed a lockable "trunk" on the SMC base of its Ridgeline pickup.
Honda Motor Co. 's first truck, the Ridgeline, promises a distinctive design.
It will be assembled on the same assembly line as Honda's cars and SUVs, simplifying production.
For plastic suppliers, the base is laudable: it's made of SMC composite and has a lockable "trunk" on the base, allowing owners to safely store items out of sight.
(The base even has drainage holes that can be filled with ice to make a large party cooler.)
In 2006,
DaimlerChrysler blow - moulded front and rear bumper system made from thermoplastic polyolefin.
In 2007,
General Motors' modification of backlighting, using color-changing PCs.
In 2008,
Double disc blow molding tank used by BMW.
The blow-molded HDPE tank got even more sophisticated when BMW began using a dual-chip system developed by Inergy AuomSystems (now wholly owned by Plastic Omnium) that incorporates key components such as sensors and fuel pumps into the tank.
This reduces potential evaporative emissions from the connections, allowing the plastic tanks to improve their environmental footprint.
In 2009,
GM used a radio case developed by Delphi, which was made from a PC/ABS mold and incorporated Faraday shielding.
In 2010,
Ford's 2011 SuperDuty diesel pickup, the first large truck to use an all-plastic system as part of its diesel emissions control program.
In 2011,
Ford, in partnership with Trexel Inc. and other suppliers, began using the Mucell process, or microfoam injection molding, on the instrument panel.
Ford became the first major automaker to use Trexel Inc. 's microfoaming process on a large scale.
Ford used the process in two parts -- the chassis retainer and the roof -- of the 2012 Ford Escape SUV and the Ford Kuga crossover in Europe.
In 2012,
GM is using the TPO as part of an upgrade to the design of its Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Denali crossovers to help drive sales.
In 2013,
Nissan Motor Co. 's Rogue crossover became a pioneer in the all-olefin exterior tailgate, which was made from PP and TPO molded by supplier Magna International and added as a complete system to Nissan's assembly line.
In 2014,
Ford used TPO for its Active Glove Box
In 2015,
In 2015, General Motors used hollow glass microspheres to reduce the body-matching weight of its Corvette.
GM replaced the calcium carbonate in the conventional SMC material used in its body panels with hollow glass microspheres made by 3M Co. and used a specialized surface treatment technology that reduced its weight by 43% compared to conventional materials.
In 2016,
Ford uses nylon and TPO composites for the upper and lower seat backs of the Lincoln Continental.
In 2017,
Ford created a front-end module for the 2018 Expedition, which was said to be the "largest possible" in-production reinjection module at the time, using a fiberglass reinforced PP.
In 2018,
Ford won the award for its all-plastic vacuum generation system for brake assistance on its 2017 F-150 pickup.
The thermoplastic component achieves 40 percent weight reduction and 25 percent cost savings compared to existing pump systems.
