Page 69 - Plastic News November 2023

IN THE NEWS

Best in Automotive Innovation: Sustainability
PE’s Automotive Innovation tems Class A structural frunk applica-
SAwards has named four finalists, • Processor: Techniplas tion. Compared with virgin TPO,
featured here, in the sustainability cat- • Material supplier: LyondellBasell the more-sustainable grade low-
egory. The winner will be announced ered density slightly and offered
during a gala on Nov. 8. • Toolmaker: Chicago Mold Engi- better impact at -15°C. Concur-
The final installment of our series of neering Co., Inc. rent redesign reduced compo-
articles showcasing the finalists for • Material: Dura 304 unsaturated nent count from six to one. The
the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) polyester bulk molding com- elimination of two metal brackets
52nd annual Automotive Innovation pound (BMC) saved 3 kg of mass, increased
Awards introduces the nominees in • Process: Injection molding cargo volume and functionality,
the sustainability category. The win- Replacing magnesium with unsaturat- improved water management,
ners in all categories will be revealed ed polyester BMC yielded structural reduced cost and labor, and
during the SPE Automotive Innova- brackets meeting high dimensional saves an estimated 1,125 tonnes
tion Awards gala on Nov. 8. requirements at comparable or im- of CO2 annually. PCR content is
Basalt fiber-reinforced ADAS bracket proved mechanical performance, es- sourced from yogurt cups and
packaging materials.
• OEM make and model: 2024 pecially in terms of toughness. The
Ford Motor Ford F-150 bracket was made more sustainable Eco-friendly cable control
• Tier supplier: Yazaki with inclusion of 6% PIR acrylic res- • OEM make and model: 2024
in (PMMA) and 5% PIR BMC scrap,
Ford Motor Ford Mustang
• Processor: HellermannTyton which replaced calcium carbonate • Tier supplier: Aptiv
• Material supplier: The Materials filler. It took two years of work to
Group develop the process to recover and • Processor: HellermannTyton
• Toolmaker: HS Mold Ltd. reclaim thermoset BMC scrap and • Material supplier: Ascend Perfor-
mance Materials
• Material: Optilon N6-30B HSL reuse it in new parts with a lower
BK polyamide (PA) 6+basalt fib- CO2 footprint. Key to the success • Material: Redefyne IAI2H BK0858
er of the program were grinding, sizing, polyamide (PA) 66
and formulation strategies. No tooling
• Process: Injection molding changes were required to replace the • Process: Injection molding
By replacing E-glass with basalt fiber virgin BMC. This is the first broad-scale shift from
in this injection molded ADAS brack- One-piece frunk virgin to post-industrial recyclate
et, which also contained 60% post- (PIR) PA 66 in cable management
industrial recyclate (PIR) PA 6, cost • OEM make and model: 2024 parts, a drop-in-change offering
and weight were neutral, the part Ford Motor Co. Ford Mustang comparable performance, aes-
met all performance requirements, Mach E thetics, and processing at lower
and no tooling changes were needed. • Tier supplier/processor: IAC cost and a 35% lower carbon
A 74% CO2 reduction was achieved Group footprint without any part de-
and 180,000 kg of material annually is • Material supplier/toolmaker: Ad- sign or tooling changes. Although
kept from landfill. The drop-in change vanced Composites Inc./HS Inc. the parts are small, they are pro-
is more sustainable, addresses glass- • Material: ADX8327 20% post- duced in high-cavitation injection
shortage issues, and provides the consumer recyclate (PCR) ther- tooling and offer best-in-class
same performance as virgin material. moplastic polyolefin (TPO) mechanical, thermal, and chemi-
cal performance. In just the first
Bracket from recycled BMC • Process: Injection molding year, the change reduced CO2
OEM make and model: 2023 General This is the first time a 20% PCR ma- emissions by 138,000 kg and
Motors Co. Chevrolet Silverado LD terial has been used in a color- saved 70,000 kg of coal.
• Tier supplier: Valeo Lighting Sys- matched, molded-in color (MIC),

PLASTICS NEWS 6969
November 2023 PLASTICS NEWS