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FINALIST |
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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: | High-gloss, Mold-in-color Metallic Resin | Model: | F250 Pickup Truck |
| OEM: | Ford Motor Company | Model Year: | 2207 |
| System Supplier: | Decoma International | Generic Resin Type: | TPO |
| Molder/Processor: | Plastcoat | Resin Trade Name: | INDURE® |
| Toolmaker: | Accurate Mold | Grade: | X76 |
| Material Supplier: | Solvay Engineered Polymers, Inc. | Other Innovative Features: | Eliminates VOCs associated with painting process |
| Most Innovative Feature: | Eliminates cost of painting the wheel flare | Forming Process: | Injection molding |
| Weight Savings: | No significant weight saving | First Time Process Used? | No |
| Cost Savings: | $10 per vehicle | Previous Process: | Injection molding, priming, painting |
| Cost Avoidance: | Avoid treatment and disposal of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) normally generated in painting process | Transferable to Other Vehicles: | This process can be translated to any other exterior trim application, and to any high-gloss interior trim application. |
| Benefits to Consumer: | |||
| Integral color reduces the apparent damage to the wheel flare caused by stone-and-gravel impacts | |||
| Method Comments: | |||
| Material developed for unique combination of properties: High-gloss appearance; scratch-and-mar resistant surface; weatherability; and integral, matched, metallic color | |||
| Innovations/Improvements: | |||
| Proprietary tooling configuration -- patent pending | |||
| Safety Improvements: | |||
| No significant direct safety benefit | |||
| Environmental Comments: | |||
| Elimination of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) associated with the painting process | |||
| Additional Comments: | |||
| Finished parts that are
out of specification may be recycled, rather than requiring paint
removal and disposal, which would be the case of a painted part |
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| Summary: | |||
| This weatherable, integrally colored, high-gloss, metallic-look material eliminates the need for primer and paint (and its associated cost and environmental issues) while providing a scratch-and-mar-resistant surface that reduces apparent damage to the wheel flare caused by stone and gravel impact. A proprietary, patent-pending tooling configuration was also key. A cost savings of $10 USD / vehicle was achieved and finished parts can be easily recycled. | |||
