A variety of “firsts” had been acknowledged among the many many 10 prize lessons on the 53rd Annual Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Division Blue Ribbon Automotive Innovation Awards — the oldest and largest worldwide opponents of its sort inside the plastics commerce. Included had been enhancements inside the lessons of Electrical & Autonomous Automobile Applications and Aftermarket & Restricted Model/Specialty Cars, along with an expanded and renamed Sustainability environmental class, with all these added starting in 2022. As in earlier years, thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites led in all lessons.
Since its establishment in 1970, this event has centered on the developments launched by polymeric provides to automotive and ground transportation industries, harking back to weight and value low cost, components consolidation, elevated safety, and enhanced aesthetics and design freedom. A variety of teams composed of OEMs, tier suppliers and polymer producers submit nominations describing their half, system or full vehicle and why it must be acknowledged as a result of the ‘12 months’s most progressive use of plastics.’ The event normally brings collectively about 700 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics commerce executives, and commerce media.
Here is a check out this 12 months’s winners, starting with the grand award and sophistication winner for course of/assembly/enabling utilized sciences.
Toyota Motor’s 2024 entrance seat once more and cushion frames, featured inside the Toyota Tacoma, are the first recognized adoption of resin shock mounts in vehicle seats. These enable dynamic lateral, vertical and horizontal movement, augmenting comfort for vehicle occupants all through off-roading. Injection molded with BASF Ultramid B3ZG7 CR and B3ZG 10 nylon 6 grades formulated for the making use of by U.S. Farathane, the airbag-compatible entrance seat resin physique integrates 10 components, along with insert-molded facet airbag attachments, ball joint mounts and lumbar mat connections, thereby decreasing complexity and eliminating the need for 10 to twenty additional components.
The front-seat once more and cushion frames inside the 2024 Toyota Tacoma are the first know adoption of resin shock mounts in vehicle seats. Provide: SPE Automotive Div.
Insert-molded nuts and wire harness attachments inside the seat cushion physique help streamline manufacturing. The design improves journey comfort; cuts mass and value; and as well as helps future adaptability, whereas meeting safety and effectivity necessities.
Aftermarket and Restricted Model/Specialty Cars: E-bus Battery Pack Housing
The thermoplastic-intensive battery pack with 240 kg (529 lbs) of plastic per vehicle that appears inside the 2024 Bluebus 12-meter e-bus claims to be the first recognized globally to supply enhanced hearth resistance in electrical bus capabilities. Sheet extruded by Simona AG using SABIC’s Stamax FR30YH611 long-glass fiber PP presents 30% weight monetary financial savings compared with metallic variations.
This intumescent, flame-retardant, long-glass-fiber-reinforced PP compound prevents thermal runaway by forming a defending char, giving occupants additional time to evacuate inside the event of a hearth. The battery pack maintains chilly facet temperatures beneath 250°C (482°F) to forestall carpet ignition, whereas providing structural integrity by its integration with picket and metallic components. This design improves safety and reduces heat swap, acknowledged to outperform aluminum enclosures by means of which flames broke by.
Physique Exterior: Self Adjusting Fastener Sleeve
One different first is the sleeve for flush exterior door handles of Frequent Motors’ 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, which eliminates information modifications and specialised devices, enabling dimensional fit-up to class A ground in all directions whereas using regular hex-head fasteners, an commerce first. Injection molded by Witol Automotive with BASF’s B3WG10 50% glass-fiber-filled nylon 6, this design integrates a metallic sleeve inside a snap-fit clamshell plastic housing, enabling real-time modifications all through assembly.
This design reduces labor time by two-to-three minutes per cope with, saving as a lot as 12 minutes per vehicle. The metallic sleeve provides load-bearing stability, and the design fits seamlessly with present GM fasteners, avoiding expensive rework or modifications to fastener varieties. Effectivity is improved whereas decreasing metallic components and plastic straps.
Physique Inside: Rear Storage Panels
Moreover a world-first design is the 1,350 × 465 mm (4.4 ft. x 1.5 ft.) rear storage panel for Toyota Motor’s 2024 Tacoma. Injection molded by Vuteq using two BASF Ultramid glass-fiber, mineral-reinforced nylon 6 grades — B3GM35 Q649 (15% glass fiber/25% mineral filler) and B3WGM24 HPX BK23210 (10% glass fiber/20% mineral filler) — the two-panel outer and inner assembly meets tough effectivity requirements, along with subzero affect resistance (-30°C/-22°F), 12,000 fatigue cycles and thermo-cycle effectivity with out eternal deformation. With 4 grain patterns, it contains a single painted cope with for ease of use, and the interior and outer shells are mechanically mounted at 34 areas. Use of the 20% mineral and 10% glass-filled nylon 6 for the interior panel improved stream by 23%, decreasing clamp tonnage and growing the processing window. This reply achieves a 0.5-mm (0.019 in.) dimensional tolerance, ensures sturdiness and eliminates issues of cracking or deformation beneath load.
Chassis/{{Hardware}}: Half-Shaft Rear-Axle Diaphragm Boots
The injection molded diaphragm boots for Ford Motor’s 2024 Ford E-Transit — manufactured by INSIT Group using Celanese’s high-performance thermoplastic polyester Hytrel HTR8745LV TPC-ET — change press blow-molded designs. As such, they’re acknowledged to ship 15% weight low cost and 17% supplies monetary financial savings. The design of these half-shaft rear-axle diaphragm boots moreover permits better angulation and longer plunge than completely different such merchandise on the market. The progressive use of this high-MFR and low-viscosity resin ensures extreme flex fatigue resistance, essential for half-shaft strategies the place each flip supplies stress.
Complete, this design permits a 50% low cost in grease utilization, improved joint lubrication and reduce working temperatures. Mildew filling simulation eradicated defects harking back to air traps and weld traces, producing injection molded components with superior sturdiness and productiveness.
Electrical and Autonomous Automobile Applications: Extreme-Voltage Battery Module Busbar
This high-voltage busbar security, which appears on Ford Motor’s 2025 Ford E-Transit, is injection molded by Kyungshin using SABIC’s H1030 flame-retardant PP compound. The design leverages the intumescent resin, providing 15% weight monetary financial savings and 35% worth low cost compared with standard designs.
The material’s distinctive properties enable it to extend from 2.8 to 5 mm (0.11 to 0.20 in.) when uncovered to temperatures as a lot as 200°C (392°F), boosting thermal resistance and stopping arcing in high-nickel battery chemistries. This enhanced security ensures the dielectric energy stays intact, even in extreme circumstances. With a most working temperature of 75°C (167°F), it delivers superior safety for EV battery packs and helps long-term reliability.
Provides: EGR Chilly Tube/Diffuser
Altering stainless-steel with thermoplastic, this exhaust gasoline recirculation (EGR) cold-tube diffuser on Ford Motor’s 2023 Mustang, Explorer, Escape, Ranger, Bronco and Maverick autos achieves a 15% weight monetary financial savings and integrates straight into the air-intake assembly, eliminating three fasteners and quite a few brazing operations. Extruded by Viking Plastics using Envalior’s Xytron G4024T GF 40 PPS, it is designed to withstand a excessive acid ambiance with pH ranges of two.2 and temperatures as a lot as 200°C (392°F). This high-performance thermoplastic presents superior chemical resistance compared with stainless-steel.
The diffuser handles noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) requirements, withstanding acceleration of 8G, whereas sustaining structural integrity. This design simplifies assembly, reduces half complexity and significantly cuts costs. Its sturdiness and chemical resistance in extreme environments assure long-lasting effectivity, setting a model new regular for EGR system effectivity.
Powertrain: Plastic Coolant Hub
This thermoplastic coolant hub, which appears on Ford Motor’s 2025 Mustang Mach E, is insert injection molded by Viking Plastics using two of Celanese’s glass-reinforced nylon 66 grades — Zytel 70G30 HSLR BK186LM and 70G13 HS1L NC010. Because of it integrates quite a few tubes, fittings and connectors proper right into a single, compact manifold, this hub improves EV coolant system effectivity, decreasing tubing measurement by 1.23 meters (4 ft.) and eliminating eight quick connects, six tee/wye adaptors and three additional adaptors.
Ford Motor’s 2024 Mustang Mach E coolant hub integrates quite a few components, slicing tubing measurement by 4 ft. Provide: SPE Automotive Div.
System weight is decreased by as a lot as 5%, whereas coolant stress drop is decreased, enhancing complete system effectivity. The laser-welded hub consists of three injection-molded components that sort a leak-tight building, which features a pressure-balancing orifice. With 30% fewer connections, the design achieved a 50% low cost in packaging home whereas eradicating 29 tube insertions and 6 tube-forming processes for assembly monetary financial savings.
Safety: Busbar Cable Assist Bracket
This busbar cable assist bracket, which appears on Frequent Motors’ 2025 Cadillac Celestiq, is designed to forestall thermal runaway and high-voltage arcing by minimizing cable motion. Injection molded by Grand Traverse Plastics using high-performance V0-rated PBT and PPS thermoplastics — Celanese’s 3316 EF 3022 N PBT and Syensqo’s Ryton R-4-220BL PPS — the design eliminates a metallic retention operate whereas providing reliable assist.
Isolating the 15-kg (33 lb) busbars enhances safety and sturdiness. The snap-fit design provides over 240 N of axial retention energy with a single fastener per location, decreasing the need for better than 10 fasteners per rechargeable vitality storage system (RESS). The ergonomic arrange, requiring solely 45 N of insertion energy, tremendously reduces assembly time and scrap costs.
Sustainability: Exterior Cladding With Residing Hinge
Combining a 1,000-mm (39-in.) prolonged dwelling hinge and 30% postconsumer recycled (PCR) TPO, this MIC A-class exterior cladding — featured on Rivian Automotive’s 2024 Rivian R1T and R1S fashions — is injection molded by KB Elements using Superior Composites’ ADX2361 TPO PCR supplies. This design consolidates 12 components into 4 and eliminates 36 metallic fasteners per vehicle. The thin-walled half achieves tight tolerances, shade match and no weld traces, meeting all aesthetic and helpful requirements.
With a $40 worth monetary financial savings per vehicle and a reduction of additional 490,000 kg of CO2 per 12 months, this reply significantly improves sustainability. The instrument design incorporates superior gating and venting to deal with the gases from PCR supplies, making sure dimensional stability and ground top quality whereas streamlining manufacturing.
This exterior cladding for Rivian’s R1T and R1S fashions is molded from PCR TPO and features a 39″ dwelling hinge. Provide: SPE Automotive Div.