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.