Moulders acquire rewards from admirable innovations

The Admirable Accolade in the Society of Plastics Engineers US automotive addition awards in November 2011 went to the apparatus console for the 2012/2013 archetypal year Ford Escape SUV and Kuga CUV models, moulded by Faurecia.

SPE awarded the IP as the better anytime appliance to use Trexel’s MuCell microcellular concrete cream process, as able-bodied as the aboriginal anytime apparatus console fabricated appliance MuCell cream technology. Due to added than 0.5kg weight extenuative and 15% faster aeon time, an estimated $3/vehicle has been adored over bunched bang moulding.

Two abstracts are acclimated for the panel: Stamax EXRP-49 30YK270 continued bottle fibre able polypropylene from Sabic Innovative Plastics and AP3335-HF 30% talc-filled PP from Flint Hills Resources.

The awarded IP console was aswell declared in a cardboard on cream moulding presented at the VDI plastics in automotive engineering appointment in Mannheim, Germany in March by Dr Carsten Starke, analysis architect in the car technologies and abstracts administration at Ford Analysis Centre in Aachen, Germany.

In the VDI appointment paper, able calm with Ellen Lee, a abstruse able in the abstracts analysis administration at Ford in Dearborn, USA, Starke appear Faurecia moulds the IP console as two parts, a “topper” and a “retainer”, in its Louisville ability on three 2,500 anchor force LG bang moulding machines.

He said anchor force is 45% (1,200 tonnes) lower than bunched moulding, due to low mould burden abbreviation mould size. He added that optimisation was needed, for archetype in venting, due to abounding cut-outs and bang points.

In June this year, it was the about-face for SPE Central Europe to accomplish its automotive awards. The admirable addition accolade went to a ability alternation class application, the cesspool approach of the GM Opel/Astra, Zafira, Chevrolet Cruze and Buick Verano cars.

The circuitous 3D-shaped cesspool approach has been moulded back November by baptize bang (WIT) by Turkish moulder Teklas in its Bulgarian bulb in moulds from Turkish mouldmaker Elvanlar Plastik & Metal. The moulding is done on one of four of the company’s KraussMaffei machines that are able with PME Fluidtech’s PMEcube WIT action equipment.

The appliance is abnormal in appliance a Schulman Polyfort PPC 03 SP-E brand of unreinforced PP rather than bottle fibre able polyamide. It is aswell noteworthy for appliance a accessory baptize burden date to anatomy two adjustable bellows.

Two aboriginal prizes were awarded in the exoteric category. One was for the Mercedes-Benz SL boot-lid, advised with an alien SMC derma and an autogenous metal abutment structure. The 2012 archetypal year architecture replaces the aboriginal two SMC locations and one metal allotment design.

The aftereffect is that the boot-lid now extends from the accumbent apparent over the vertical amount bowl area. Where there acclimated to be a absolute inter-panel gap in the beforehand two-panel SMC design, this can still be seen, but as a architecture affection searching like a gap. Menzolit food the SMC 420 admixture candy by Daimler in Sindelfingen in accoutrement supplied by FbZ Formenbau Züttlingen.

The added aboriginal cost went to VW for development of a ample assembly alternation able top burden RTM (resin alteration moulded) exoteric ancillary physique console in Class A apparent superior for the carbon fibre blended structured XL1 car. The ultra attenuate artificial console was declared as “almost as attenuate as 0.6 or 0.8mm area steel”, yet it does not appearance the orange bark apparent aftereffect archetypal of corrective animate panels.

Second abode went to the radiator grille of the VW Phaeton. This is moulded “without any arresting trace assurance of affiliate lines” in PC/PET and PC/ABS blends from Bayer MaterialScience by chromed artificial specialist Gerhardi Kunststofftechnik, in accoutrement from Kller and Finke. Gerhardi was aswell a allotment of finalists with the radiator grille of the Audi R8 GT, moulded in the aforementioned blends in accoutrement from Kller, Kumpenholz, Oelfke and Wedo.

Combined use of thermoplastic and thermosetting artificial was awarded in two according third prizes accustomed to Artificial Omnium. SMC 612 from Mixt Composites Recyclables and Total Petrochemicals Finnalloy 830C16, a 30% crumb abounding PP, were used, respectively, in close structural and alien panels in the tailgates of the Peugeot 508 W and the Land Rover Evoque.

The locations are produced and corrective by Artificial Omnium, appliance SMC presses from Pinette Emidecau Industries and bang moulding machines from KraussMaffei and Engel. Alone the applique differed, from Sanvito & Somaschini and Tecma Global Solutions for the Peugeot application, and from Shapers Polska and Shapers Arrk Applique Sermo for the Evoque.

In application the tailgate prizes, SPE Central Europe awards administrator Rudolf Fernengel commented about allotment precision: “In area animate you can angle a tailgate to fit, which is not accessible with plastic, as it either fits or it does not. You aswell accept to acquiesce in the architecture for differences in the accessory of thermal expansion”.

Hybrid actual use was aswell complex in the aboriginal cost in the autogenous class accustomed to Johnson Controls Interiors (JCI) for a BMW 3 Touring aperture panel. This is compression moulded in Fibrowood acrylic adhesive affirmed accustomed fibre with Frimo equipment, and overmoulding of apparatus and constituent in 20% talc-filled PP is done on KraussMaffei machinery

Fernengel said: “All four claddings counterbalance beneath than one accepted one and it can’t be fabricated beneath expensively – except in the Far East.”

Second cost went to a BMW 3 absolute copse décor trim, moulded on SHI Demag moulding accouterment in an bearding Bayer MS actual by NHBX Trim. The closing aswell decorates the allotment with copse appearance from Alpi in Italy, appliance a Gottfried Joos Maschinenfabrik appearance press.

The third autogenous class cost went to the BMWi3 Megacity car –this time not for its awful publicised carbon fibre structure, but for a one-step attenuate blur foamed apparatus panel. This is moulded by BMW in Landshut in Siebenwurst accoutrement appliance BMW’s PP-SGI structural cream action calm with Nordenia’s Groflex blur cladding activated by Frimo equipment.

Fernengel said: “The attenuate blur takes up the apparent anatomy just like a diaper.” The allotment has been produced in pre-series back July 2011 and the BMWi3 is due for barrage in September 2013.

In the ability alternation category, Rchling Automotive in Lofers/Laives, Italy took aboriginal and additional prize. The aboriginal cost was for an chip air assimilation and allegation air acknowledgment arrangement for the VW 1.4 litre engines, which is fabricated in DSM’s Akulon K224 HG6, a 30% bottle fibre able PA6. The aggregation took additional cost for the Audi A4 and A5 net-shape allegation air aqueduct fabricated in bendable TPV and PA6.

Equal third abode went to: Woco Kunststofftechnik for a multi-functional turbocharger apartment fabricated in phenolic admixture and energy-absorbing and top calefaction attrition polyamide; and to Polytec for an Audi A5 2.0 TDI cooling baptize aqueduct produced on SHI Demag accouterment in a Schweiger mould in BASF’s Ultramid PA66 GF25 GB5 material. A melt-pushback adaptation of projectile moulding is acclimated for the duct.

The alone account awarded in the electrical and electronics class was an ambient ablaze rod for the Mercedes SLK R172 model. Moulded by Burg Architecture in a Schfer mould on Engel machinery, the rod consists of glass-clear Lexan 8010 polycarbonate from Sabic Innovative Plastics and blah Grilamid TR from EMS-Chemie.