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(click on the picture to see a larger illustration - it opens in a new window, close that window to return here) |
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| Description: | NVH Trunk Load Floor | Model: | Focus |
| OEM: | Ford Motor Company | Model Year: | 2008 |
| System Supplier: | Polywheels Manufacturing | Generic Resin Type: | PP |
| Molder/Processor: | Polywheels Manufacturing | Resin Trade Name: | N/A |
| Toolmaker: | Service Mold Inc. | Grade: | N/A |
| Material Supplier: | Quadrant Plastics Composites | Other Innovative Features: | Manufacturing process that eliminated secondary operation to bond carpet to substrate |
| Most Innovative Feature: | A extemely light weight trunk load floor with improved NVH performance | Forming Process: | Thermoforming |
| Weight Savings: | 57% or 4lb weight saved (3 lbs vs 7 lbs.) | First Time Process Used? | In North America this is the first use of this material/ process for trunk load floors |
| Cost Savings: | Ford Motor Company identified product as providing cost & freight savings | Previous Process: | Previous substrates were primarily made out of compressed wood fiber products |
| Cost Avoidance: | Eliminated planned freight from India to Ford Wayne Assembly Plant, Livonia MI | Transferable to Other Vehicles: |
Yes, application transferable to other vehicle program |
| Benefits to Consumer: | |||
| Reduced weight for improved MPG & improved sound absorption | |||
| Method Comments: | |||
| Needed to complete molding & load testing analysis to determine optimum material density & lofting/ molding thickness to maximize load capacity & NVH performance | |||
| Innovations/Improvements: | |||
| Thermoforming tool is able to form part to maximize load capacity performance and complete the carpet trimming in a one-step operation | |||
| Safety Improvements: | |||
| N/A | |||
| Environmental Comments: | |||
| N/A | |||
| Additional Comments: | |||
| After all other weight save options had been incorporated, the Focus program still needed to reduce weight to meet Vehicle Class requirements. Polywheels developed, designed, validated and launched application in less than 12 months. | |||
| Summary: | |||
| This is the first use of LWRT GMT composites to replace wood /hardboard in a trunk load floor. Carpet is insert molded with the composite is an one-step process, saving 4 lb per vehicle while improving NVH vs. the previous technology. | |||
