BMW grille gets smart to take home SPE award

The front grille on BMW's iX electric-drive SUV provides a smart surface that allows the automaker to embed sensors, cameras and radar systems behind its decorative exterior.

The iX was one of two grand innovation winners at the recent Society of Plastics Engineers Central Europe 20th Automotive Awards.

BMW's Dingolfing plant in Germany molds the panels on Engel machinery using an injection compression mold from Schechen, Germany-based Summerer Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, an automotive plastics glazing mold systems specialist for 40 years.

The kidney-shaped panel is molded from Makrolon AG2677, a medium-viscosity, UV-stabilized, easy-release polycarbonate automotive glazing material from Covestro. It is in-mold flooded with self-healing polyurethane in a single-shot process integrating radome heating.

Bingen, Germany-based Oerlikon Balzers Coatings Germany GmbH plasma vapor deposition (PVD) equipment creates radar-transparent diamond-shape metallic effects. The "intelligent surface" panel houses camera technology, radar functions, driver assistance sensor technology and heating elements.

In serial production since October 2020 at Mercedes Benz's Sindelfingen, Germany-plant, the Mercedes AMG GT Black gear carrier received the powertrain grand innovation award.

The part uses a FibreTEC3D free-space winding process utilizing continuous carbon-fiber bundles from Toray Carbon Fibers Europe SA. These are first impregnated by an Epikote Trac 06398/Epicure epoxide resin system from Iserlohn, Germany-based Hexion GmbH. The resin withstands temperatures up to 210° C (410° F) near the exhaust tract.

Mercedes produces 3,500 carriers per year, two per car. Mercedes developed FibreTEC3D with the ITM textile machinery institute at Dresden Technical University.

The company also uses the process for robot gripper and other production aids for A-, C-, E- and S-class cars.

Replacing cast aluminum-magnesium alloy cut weight by 55 percent (0.95 kilograms vs. 1.75 kg), with identical stiffness. The carrier uses 100 meters of impregnated carbon fibers wound around aluminum deflection/connection points and is integrated with conventional carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxide composite for load-bearing.

Thin electric motor slot liners used in BMW's fifth-generation eDrive won the mobility innovation award. The liners increase efficiency, reduce size and weight.

Turin, Italy-based molder Cobraplast SpA makes the part using Xydar G930, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) from Solvay Specialty Polymers Italy SpA.

Solvay also featured enabling technology for the second-place winner, thin-extruded KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) insulated magnet wires at Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire plants in Germany.

BMW's Landshut, Germany, plastics processing plant received the enabling technology innovation award for injection moldings with integrated temperature control. Media from existing circuits run through the molding's coarse cellular core, produced by water-assist molding of Stamax 20 percent long-glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene from Sabic Innovative Plastics.

Sabic also received new mobility second place for a one-shot stamped aluminum insert-molded Lucid Air electric car battery module housing, produced by Hayward, Calif.-based molder Plastikon Industries Inc. with Lexan 3412ECR, a halogen-free UL94-V0 flame retardant 20 percent glass-fiber-reinforced polycarbonate. Complex tool design by Zwickau, Germany-based Christian Karl Siebenwurst GmbH resulted in less production stages and a compact, high energy-density battery pack housing.

The chassis/structural second place went to a Hyundai iX25 roof rail, gas-assist molded by Loznica, Serbia-based Minth Europe Automotive DOO in Akromid B3 GF50 1GIT 50 percent glass-fiber-reinforced nylon from Niederzissen, Germany-based compounder Akro-Plastic GmbH, using equipment from Ettenheim, Germany-based PME Fluidtec GmbH.

Sustainable materials nominations included Akro-Plastic with ICF "intelligent carbon-fiber" compounds derived from waste CF fabric.

LyondellBasell Co. BV was nominated in body interiors for Looppile X, the claimed first carpet produced with 100 percent recycled PP by Genemuiden, Netherlands-based Condor Cartex BV, Europe's largest car carpet producer. Condor can also recycle polyester-fiber-based carpets into new carpet.