Category winners announced for SPE Automotive Innovation Awards

DETROIT —The Society of Plastics Engineers' automotive division has announced the category winners for its 2014 Automotive Innovation Awards. SPE honored the winners at its 44th-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala Nov. 12.

Ford Motor Co. took home the top award for its safety category entry, the active glove box. The system replaces a traditional fabric airbag with an injection molded plastic bladder attached via hot plate welding to the glove box door. It appears in the 2015 Mustang and is supplied by Faurecia with materials from Advanced Composites Inc. and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. Toolmaker Extol Inc. was responsible for hot plate welding development.

Other category winners are as follows:

Body Exterior

Hyundai Motor Group for the carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic panoramic sun-roof frame in the 2015 Kia Sorento cross-over utility vehicle. Inalfa Roof Systems Korea Ltd. supplies the part, which is injection molded with material from GS Caltex Corp. and tooling from Hyundai.

Body Interior

Ford for the second-row seat back using glass mat thermoplastic on the 2015 Mustang. Continental Structural Plastics Inc. supplies the part, using material from Hanwha L&C and tooling from Century Tool & Gauge.

Chassis & Hardware

Renault Group for the coextruded thermoplastic coolant tube on the 2015 Renault Twingo city car. Supplier Tristone Flowtech gets its material from DuPont Co.

Environmental

Ford for the cellulose fiber-reinforced PP console armrest in the 2013 Lincoln MKX luxury CUV, supplied by Johnson Controls Inc. with material from Weyerhaeuser NR Co.

Materials

Ford for the molded-in-color PC and ABS metallic appearance finish panels in the 2015 Mondeo Sedan, supplied by International Automotive Components Group. Key Plastics Löhne GmbH is the processor, Samsung Chemical supplies material and Michael Tool & Mold Ltd. provides tooling.

Powertrain

Volkswagen AG for the polyamide crank shaft cover with integrated oil seal on the 2014 MDB engine platform. Kaco GmbH + Co. KG supplies the part, which is made with material from DSM Engineering Plastics B.V. Engel Austria GmbH is the material processor and Elmet GmbH is the toolmaker.

Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies

Ford for the molded PC LED optical headlamp lens on the 2015 F-150 pickup, from tier suppliers Flex-N-Gate Corp. and Ventra Plastics Division of Ventra Group Inc. DBM Reflex is the tool maker and processor. Bayer MaterialScience supplies the material.