Weatherable Structural SMC Truck Bed and Trunk Box

The bed, tailgate, in-bed trunk, and cover on this pickup are compression molded in a new weatherable, UV-stable, MIC, structural SMC using unsaturated polyester resin.  In-mold black coloring plus texturing are used to eliminate paint and the need for bed liners plus minimize the appearance of scratches and dings. The lockable trunk is a single molded SMC part that can be converted to a watertight cooler. Extensive development work was done to improve the UV resistance of SMC materials, which traditionally have not been weatherable.

OEM/Vehicle Honda Motor Co. 2017 Honda Ridgeline System Supplier Continental Structural Plastics Material Processor    Continental Structural Plastics

Material Supplier Ashland Inc. Resin Arotran 805 Unsaturated Polyester Resin Tooling/Equipment Supplier Century Mold

For More Information See: http://www.plastics-car.com/Todays-Automobiles/Auto-Interior/Steering-Wheels.html?css=print

Heated-Tip Fuel Injector

An electrical heater within the injector is energized by the vehicle controller, rapidly heating the ethanol fuel and dramatically improving vaporization while reducing emissions.  Ink materials used in construction of the heater, body design, the ink-printing process on the body, and overmolding with PPA (which was designed for flow, heat resistance, and electronic compatibility) were all key to the success of this application. The technology saved $60 USD/vehicle as well as 8.8 kg, while improving cold starts on E100 fuel and eliminating the need for a redundant gasoline fuel system on the vehicle.

OEM/Vehicle Honda Motor Co. 2015 Honda Fit and Honda City System Supplier Delphi Powertrain Material Processor Delphi Powertrain

Material Supplier DuPont Automotive Resin Zytel HTN54G35EF High Temperature Nylon Tooling/Equipment Supplier Baldi

For More Information See: http://www.plastics-car.com/Todays-Automobiles/Automotive-Powertrains/Drive-Shaft.html

Plastic Fuel-Pump Maintenance Lid

This is the first 1-piece plastic fuel-pump maintenance lid with molded-in fasteners that is serviceable and can withstand challenging impact force. Significant FEA work was done to ensure the design would meet impact requirements. Additionally, the part seals out noise and fumes, reduces mass and cost, and helps prevent line-worker injuries during installation vs. the stamped metal lids it replaced.

OEM/Vehicle Honda Motor Co. Ltd. 2014 Acura TL luxury sedan System Supplier Nifco America Corp.

Material Supplier Celanese Resin Hostaform S9364 POM

For More Information See: http://www.plastics-car.com/s_plasticscar/fuel_economy/Default.html

Themoplastic Composite Headliner

A new grade of thermoformable, low-density GMT composite uses a special additive to provide greater loft and molded part thickness, yielding better stiffness (per area weight) and a 10% cost savings (through elimination of acoustic materials) as well as a 5% weight savings in this headliner.  Acoustical performance is also improved.

OEM/Vehicle 2008 Honda ® Accord ® sedan by Honda Motor   System Supplier TS Tech Material Processor TS Tech

Material Supplier AZDEL, Inc. Resin SuperLite ® XLT PP/GF

For More Information See: http://www.plastics-car.com/InteriorComponents

Fiberglass Free Headliner

This application uses a non-glass-fiber reinforcement, which enables complete disposal (incineration) of the headliner by the OEM vehicle recycler.  Incinerating fiberglass headliners causes huge disposal issues, especially in Japan and Europe.  The basalt-reinforced PP composite meets the OEM’s disposal requirements without incinerator contamination issues.

OEM/Vehicle 2007 MY Honda Acura® MDX System Supplier M-Tek, Inc. Material Processor M-Tek, Inc.

Material Supplier AZDEL, Inc. Resin VolcaLite®  basalt-reinforced PP

For More Information See: http://www.plastics-car.com/Todays-Automobiles