Finalists named for 2015 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards

The Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division has selected finalists for its 2014 Automotive Innovation Awards Competition. Category winners and the grand winner will be announced during the Innovation Awards & Gala Nov. 11 in Livonia, Mich.

Nominated parts must be on vehicles that are in production during the 2015 calendar year. The award goes to the automaker.

The finalists are:

Aftermarket

• General Motors Co. for the self-mounted, transparent, frameless wind deflector on the 2016 Corvette Stingray convertible. Polytec FOHA Inc. supplies the system, which is made with Sabic's Lexan polycarbonate sheet. Pace Machine Tool Inc. supplies the tooling.

• GM for the interior floormat on the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which has a second-row interlocking feature for larger carpet coverage and is injection molded for a better 3-D fit. Thermoflex Corp. supplies the part and tooling, using thermoplastic elastomer material from Star Thermoplastic Alloys & Rubbers Inc.

Body Exterior

• Ford Motor Co. for the emblem front camera deployment mechanism on the 2016 Lincoln MKX. Huf North America supplies the system, with materials from Lanxess AG, DuPont Co. and BASF SE. The tooling comes from Yantai Huf Tools Co. Ltd. and Laundenbach Formtechnik GmbH & Co. KG.

• Ford for the push-to-release exterior fastener on the 2015 Mustang. The two-piece, injection molded fastener is supplied by ITW Deltar Fasteners, the nylon 6/6 material from Ascend Performance Materials LLC, and the tooling from A&P Tool Inc. and M&M Tool and Mold LLC.

• GM for the charge port bezel on the 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which is injection molded using a mold-in-color material to give the appearance of chrome. ITW Deltar supplies the part and tooling, using MetaLX Hostaform acetal from Celanese Corp.

Body Interior

• Kia Motors for the crash pad garnish on the KX3 (China). The two-shot molded part supplied by Hyundai Mobis and Dong Kook Industries Co. Ltd. includes low-cost, 3-D patterns the nomination claims can't be performed with traditional decorative processes. Samsung SDI supplies the metallic mold-in-color ABS resin, and Woosung Precision Co. Ltd. supplies the tooling.

• Ford for the compact driver's side bin on the 2015 Edge. The fully dampened, spring-aided drawer-style bin uses no screws, mechanical fasteners, welding or heat staking. Yanfeng USA Automotive Trim Systems Inc. supplies the system, which is injection molded with materials from Celanese Corp., Advanced Composites Inc., Ineos Group Ltd. and Trinseo. Circle 5 Tool & Mold Inc. is the toolmaker.

• Ford for the rear seat folding head restraint on the 2015 F-150. Windsor Machine Group and Hawk Plastics Ltd. supply the injection molded part, using polypropylene copolymer material from ExxonMobil Chemical Co. and tooling from IRC Engineering.

• Ford for the active glove box system, hand-wrapped for the 2016 Lincoln MKX. International Automotive Components Group supplies the part, using materials from Advanced Composites Inc., Mitsubishi IDK & IDC and CGT. Tooling was supplied by B&B Tooling Inc.

• Ford for the seat back-mounted tablet holder on the 2016 Taurus. The system is supplied by Lumens High Performance Lighting and Lear Corp., with materials from BASF and DuPont.

Chassis/Hardware

• Ford for the carbon composite grille opening reinforcement on the 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang, using short carbon fiber-filled resin and a resistant implant welding joining process. The part is supplied by the Plastcoat division of Magna International with tooling by Tycos Tool & Die Co. and nylon 6/6 material from BASF.

• Hyundai Motor Co. for the engine room partition wall on the 2015 Genesis. NVH Korea Inc. supplies the injection molded part, with material from Kopla Co. Ltd. and in-house tooling.

• Ford for the door protection device on the 2015 Focus, supplied by Witte Automotive, which also supplies the tooling. The injection molded part uses material from DuPont.

• Audi AG for the glass fiber epoxy composite coil spring on the 2015 A6 Avant 2.0-L TDI Ultra. Hexion Inc. supplies the material and S. Ara Composite S.A.S. is the Tier 1.

Environmental

• Peugeot SA for the natural fiber reinforced polypropylene material in the 2013 308. The Tier 1 is Faurecia Interior Systems and the material comes from its joint venture Automotive Performance Materials.

• Ford for the Repreve seat fabric made from 100 percent recycled PET used in the 2015 F-150. Johnson Controls Inc. and Sage Automotive Interiors supplies the system, and the fiber comes from Unifi Manufacturing Inc.

• Ford for the underbody aero shields on the 2016 Fusion, made using 50 percent recycled PET and capable of being recycled. US Farathane Corp. supplies the system and material.

• Ford for the glass-filled, post-consumer nylon cam cover on the 2015 Nano 2.7L and 3.5L iVCT GTDI. ElringKlinger North America Inc. supplies the system for the Nano and Bruss North America Inc. for the 3.5L. The material comes from Wellman Advanced Materials.

Materials

• GM for the class A body panels on the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette, using TCA Ultra Lite from Continental Structural Plastics, which is also the Tier 1. The parts are vacuum compression molded. The toolmakers are Century Tool & Gage and Paragon Die & Engineering Co.

• Ford for the carbon fiber composite wheel on the 2015 Mustang Shelby. Carbon Revolution supplies the resin transfer molded part and tooling.

• Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for the rear lamp reflector on the 2015 Dodge Challenger. The injection molded part is supplied by Varroc Lighting Systems, using polycarbonate resin from Sabic.

Powertrain

• Honda Motor Co. Ltd. for the heated fuel tip injector on the 2015 Honda Fit and Honda City. The system is supplied by Delphi Powertrain using high-temperature nylon from DuPont and tooling from Coltelleria Baldi.

• Ford for the transmission heat exchanger cradle on the 2015 Lincoln MKC CUV. The injection molded system is supplied by A. Raymond Tinnerman using material from Sabic and eliminates the need for metal fasteners.

• GM for its external air oil separator for the Chevrolet LT1 Camaro SS and Cadillac LT4 CTS-V, supplied by ElringKlinger North America Inc. DuPont supplies the material.

Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies

• Ford for the in-mold grain press bonding with edge folding in the 2015 Ford F-150. Faurecia Interior Systems supplies the part, using material from Haartz Corp. and tooling from Frimo Group GmbH.

• GM for the blow molded spoiler assembly on the 2016 Cadillac ATS V Series. The Tier 1 is Metelix Products Inc., which also supplies the tooling. Trinseo supplies the ABS material for the part.

• Hyundai for the instrument panel on the 2014 i20 Supermini. Back-foamed foil, substrate and passenger-side airbag door are made in a single mold. Hyundai Mobis supplies the system, and Hanhwa L&C supplies the TPO material.

• Ford for the two-shot selective chrome and paint finish panels on the 2016 Explorer, integrating decorative features into a single molded part. Summit Polymers Inc. and Lawrence Automotive Interiors Ltd. are the Tier 1 and processor, and the system uses ABS and PC/ABS materials from Sabic.

• Ford for the door trim switch bezel on the 2016 Edge CUV, giving the appearance of two parts in one mold. Yanfeng USA Automotive Trim Systems Inc. supplies the part, using material from BASF and tooling from Michael Tool & Mold (Windsor) Ltd.

Safety

• Ford for the flexible sensor bracket sonically welded directly to the fascia skin in the 2015 Mustang. The part is supplied by Maclean-Fogg Co. and Ford, with tooling from Industrial Automation LLC.

• FCA for the mixed-material floor rocker reinforcement on the 2015 Jeep Renegade. The Tier 1 is Proma Group, the processor is Redstamp, and Sabic supplies the material.

• Ford for the uni-directional inertial lockout on the 2016 Lincoln MKC. International Automotive Components Group supplies the system, the processor is West Michigan Molding Inc., with acetal material from Ticona.