The fourteenth-annual SPE® TPO Automotive Engineered Polyolefins Conference, the world’s leading automotive engineered-polyolefins forum will be held September 30-October 3, 2012 and the group has issued its annual call for papers with abstracts due April 27, 2012 and non-commercial papers or presentations due July 31, 2012 (eMail both to TPOpapers@auto-tpo.com). Since 1998, volunteers from the Detroit Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) have organized the conference to update attendees on the latest developments in engineered thermoplastic polyolefins (TPOs) and related materials. The show typically draws 500 attendees from around the world and features 40+ technical presentations, panel discussions, keynote speakers, networking receptions, plus exhibits that highlight advances in engineered polyolefin materials, processes, and applications technologies.

To represent the technology changes in the plastics industry during the last decade better, as well to reflect growing interest among the automotive and ground-transportation market segments, the conference has expanded its scope beyond rigid and elastomeric TPOs to include a growing range of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) and that broader perspective is reflected in a slight name change for the event.

Returning event co-chair, Jeffrey Valentage, market developer-Specialty Elastomers Business, ExxonMobil Chemical Co. says, “While the name has changed slightly over the last year, the Auto TPO Conference has the same elements that returning attendees value – quality technical presentations, interesting exhibits, lively panel discussions, timely keynote topics, and an atmosphere that makes networking easy and comfortable.”

The expanded conference scope is already being reflected in the event’s technical program, which is co-chaired by Dr. Norm Kakarala, Inteva Products LLC and Peter Grelle, Plastics Fundamentals Group LLC. Nine technical sessions are being organized around topics like Surface Enhancements (co-chaired by Dr. Rose Ryntz, International Automotive Components (IAC) and David Helmer, General Motors Corp.); Advances in Automotive Polyolefins (co-chaired by Patti Tibbenham, Ford Motor Co., and Neil Fuenmayor, LyondellBasell Industries); Part Design, Tooling & Processing (co-chaired by Dave Okonski and Charles Buehler, both of General Motors Co.); Rigid Polyolefin Compounds (co-chaired by Mike Balow, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America and Ermanno Ruccolo, Mitsui Plastics Inc.); Understanding TPOs (co-chaired by Hoa Pham, Washington Penn Plastics and Tom Traugott, Advanced Composites); Automotive Interior Trim & Skins (co-chaired by Bob Eller, Robert Eller Associates and Yvonne Bankowski, Ford Motor Co.); Lightweight TPO Structural Applications (co-chaired by Laura Soreide, Ford Motor Co. and Dr. Jay Raisoni, Adell Plastics); Large Part Thermoforming (co-chaired by Ed Bearse and Kurt Dubowski); and Automotive TPEs (co-chaired by Bob Eller and Jeffrey Valentage). The conference’s ever-popular Executive Panel Discussion will also return, moderated by Ron Price of Global Polymer Solutions.

This year’s conference returns to the Troy Marriott in the Detroit suburbs. A variety of sponsorship packages are available for companies interested in showcasing their products and / or services.

About the TPO Conference

Since 1998, the SPE TPO Automotive Engineered Polyolefins Conference has highlighted the importance of rigid and flexible polyolefins throughout the automobile – in applications ranging from semi-structural composite underbody shields and front-end modules to soft-touch interior skins and bumper fascia. Engineered polyolefins have been the fastest-growing segment of the global plastics industry for more than a decade owing to their excellent cost / performance ratio. The show typically draws approximately 500 attendees from 20 countries on four continents who are interested in learning about the latest in rigid and elastomeric TPO as well as TPE and TPV technologies. Fully a third of conference attendees say they work for a transportation OEM, and roughly 20% work for a tier integrator / molder, with the balance from materials or reinforcement suppliers, equipment OEMs, industry consultants, and members of academia.

The mission of SPE International is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Detroit Section is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic based-composite developments – particularly in the automotive industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information about the SPE TPO Automotive Engineered Polyolefins Conference, to view the conference’s evolving technical program, or to register to attend the event, please visit http://auto-tpo.com or http://speautomotive.com/tpo.htm, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Detroit Section, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA.

For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other SPE events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The organizing committee for the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) today announced the dates, theme, and location for this year’s show and issued its annual Call for Papers. Now in its twelfth year, the SPE ACCE has become the world’s leading forum for automotive composites and draws exhibitors, speakers, and attendees from 15 countries on five continents. This year’s event, whose theme is Unleashing the Power of Design, returns September 11-13, 2012 to the MSU Management Education Center in Troy, Mich., U.S.A.

Creig Bowland, senior research associate at PPG Industries, and the 2011 and 2012 SPE ACCE conference chair said, “With the global automotive industry growing again after several difficult years, and with a host of tough new emissions and fuel-economy standards looming for the industry to meet, interest in lightweight materials like polymer composites is at an all-time high. Fortunately, the composites industry has a broad portfolio representing a wide range of cost, performance, and processing options from which to choose. Whether automakers are working on low volume/performance platforms, or high volume/economy platforms, they will find materials and process options that will meet their needs. And the best way to keep on top of the very latest technology innovations in this field is to attend the annual SPE ACCE show.”

Those interested in speaking at this year’s event should submit abstracts by March 31, 2012 to the review committee via ACCEpapers@speautomotive.com. Full papers or presentations are due May 31, 2012. Authors who submit papers (not presentations) in the proper format will be considered for the conference’s Best Paper Awards, which will be presented during the event’s opening ceremony.

Held annually in suburban Detroit, the ACCE draws almost 500 speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion and networking about advances in the transportation composites. Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / Pacific as well as North America. Fully one-third of attendees indicate they work for automotive and light truck, agriculture, truck & bus, heavy truck, or aviation OEM, and another 25% representing tier suppliers. Attendees also represent composite materials, processing equipment, additives, or reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultants, university and government labs; media; and investment bankers. The show has been jointly sponsored by the SPE Automotive and Composites Divisions since 2001.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics. SPE’s Automotive and Composites Divisions work to advance plastics and plastic-based composites technologies worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. Both divisions are dedicated to educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments, including materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design and testing, and application development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive Composites Conference, visit the Automotive Division’s website at http://speautomotive.com/comp.htm, or the Composites’ Division website at http://compositeshelp.com, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other SPE events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers.

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) tonight announced the winners of its 41st-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries. Winners survived a pre-qualification round, as well as presentations before a panel of industry experts on September 29-30; finalists from that round presented again on October 10 before a Blue Ribbon panel of judges where category and Grand Award winners were selected; winners were announced tonight at the 2011 SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Gala. The Process / Assembly / Enabling Technologies category winner was also selected as the event’s Grand Award winner for the Most Innovative Use of Automotive Plastics in 2011.  For more information on the 2011 winners, see  http://speautomotive.com/inno.htm.   And to learn more about all the nominations accepted into this year’s competition, see:  http://speautomotive.com/Awards%20Modules/2011Awards/Home.html

SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards Program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the world. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle and why it merits the claim as the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. This annual event typically draws 600 to 800 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. As is customary, funds raised from this event are used to support SPE educational efforts and technical seminars, which help educate and secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based-composite developments in the global transportation industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala, please visit the SPE Automotive Division website at http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other society events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

High-resolution digital part photography for all of the 2011 nominations may be found at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/speautomotive/collections/72157627886707996/.

The interiors of the 2011 model year (MY) Chrysler® 200 and Dodge® Avenger® mid-size sedans, which were developed and launched as part of vehicle facelifts in just over a year, won Chrysler Group LLC and its interiors supplier, Faurecia, the 2011 Vehicle Engineering Team Award (VETA) from the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) as part of the group’s 41st-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries. James N. Lyijynen, system responsible – Interior Cockpit, System & Component Engineering, at Chrysler Group LLC will accept the award on behalf of all OEM and supplier team members during SPE’s annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala on November 9, 2011, at Burton Manor in Livonia, Mich.

Unlike other SPE executive awards, VETA recognizes the technical achievements of entire teams comprised of automotive designers and engineers, tier integrators, materials suppliers, toolmakers, and others whose work—in research, design, engineering, and/or manufacturing—has led to significant integration of polymeric materials on a notable vehicle. This is the fifth time in eight years that the award has been presented. The first winner was Porsche AG for the 2004 MY Porsche® Carrera GT supercar, and Ford Motor Co. has won in three previous years with, respectively, its 2009 MY Ford Flex™ cross-over-utility vehicle (CUV), 2010 MY Ford® Taurus sedan, and 2011 MY Ford® Explorer sport-utility vehicle (SUV).

Chosen by a panel of Blue Ribbon judges and SPE Automotive Division board members from nominations by each of the Detroit Three automakers, the winning team was selected, in the words of one judge, “because of the incredibly tight timing and the highly integrated team approach taken with key suppliers.”

All new interiors for both the 2011 Dodge Avenger and Chrysler 200 sedans were developed in a record 54 week time period, just over 12 months from surface freeze to start of production (SOP). The previous-generation Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger interiors were developed on a 30 month time line. Partly as a result of the 2008 global economic downturn and the ownership change of Chrysler Group LLC in 2009, the new company was at risk of not having a competitive sedan in the D segment, the second-largest segment in the automotive market. To remain competitive, Chrysler Group needed a solution that could be brought to market rapidly.

Not only did the team face a compressed development cycle, but other challenges also presented themselves, including ongoing product changes (e.g. late theme and feature/content changes); no plan for a design/validation test phase or prototype vehicles; short lead times to build (hard) production tooling and limited tool-trial runs planned before launch; as well as unknown model year phase out/phase timing at the start of the program.

To help the team create two distinct interior “personalities” for the two vehicles in the compressed timeframe, three key factors were used: a craftsmanship benchmarking report from Chrysler Group, Faurecia’s perceived-quality methodology, and use of a number of carryover components (e.g. a common cross-car beam, instrument panel retainer, glove-box door, and drive-side knee bolster). The team had strong support from both organizations. For example, there was full respect for surface freeze dates, materials to be used for the interior components were confirmed by mid-November 2009 with no further changes allowed; and between tool kickoff and first parts and between tool-tuning loops/iteration no changes were allowed to help freeze the product definition and keep it there. Further, a full complement of virtual validation tools was used. And with regard to the expedited tooling schedule, critical tools were sourced locally, and rapid in-mold graining tools—achieved with nickel-shell tool technology—were used.

Dedicated Chrysler support for both surface approvals and graining, and executive oversight by both the automaker and Faurecia helped support the timeline and facilitated rapid decision making. Co-location of a dedicated Chrysler console stylist at Faurecia, and management of Class A design for consoles and door trim by Faurecia employees, plus a daily “war room” huddle kept both companies fully engaged in the process. And owing to Faurecia’s global organization, team members in the U.S., Mexico, France, India, and China participated, allowing for a true 24/7 response to the development effort.

Thanks to the unique collaboration and team discipline, the new Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger sedans launched with beautifully updated interiors featuring premium materials, ambient lighting, and other accents, all at a lower cost than the outgoing models. Other benefits of the collaboration included halving the normal delivery time; use of nickel-shell tools, which allow for quick and accurate duplication as production demands increase but provide a quality equivalent to electroplated tooling; higher quality parts with smaller and more accurate tolerances; and an increase in the perceived quality for grain definition. To prepare for sales globally, production of interior components now takes place in the U.S., Mexico, Spain, and China to serve global demand. The interior of both vehicles makes use of 183 primary tools for both injection and thermoforming and represents the first production application of rapid nickel-shell in-mold grain tools.

Representatives of both vehicles’ development program will be honored on November 9 at SPE’s annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala at Burton Manor (www.Burtonmanor.net) in Livonia, Mich. The event begins with a VIP Cocktail Reception at 4:30 p.m., generously sponsored by Ticona Engineering Polymers. At 5:00 p.m. the main exhibit area will open for general admission and guests can review this year’s Automotive Innovation Awards part nominations, as well as enjoy the specialty and antique vehicles that are always a highlight of the show. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the awards program itself will last from 7:00-9:00 p.m. For those who wish to extend merrymaking and networking activities, the ever-popular Afterglow – also sponsored by Ticona – will run from 9:00-11:00 p.m.

SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards Program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the world. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle and why it merits the claim as the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. This annual event typically draws 600 to 800 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. As is customary, funds raised from this event are used to support SPE educational efforts and technical seminars, which help educate and secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based-composite developments in the global transportation industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala, please visit the SPE Automotive Division website at http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other society events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

® Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger are registered trademarks of Chrysler Group LLC.

Photos courtesy of Chrysler Group LLC.

The SuperPlug® integrated composite door-hardware module—which first debuted on 1997 model year (MY) Chevrolet® Venture® and Malibu®, Pontiac® Transport®, Oldsmobile® Silhouette® and Cutlass®, and Opel® Sintra® vehicles from then General Motors Corp. (GM)—was selected as the 2011 Hall of Fame winner of the Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers’ (SPE®’s) 41st-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition. To be considered for a Hall of Fame award, an automotive-plastic component must have been in continuous service in some form for at least 15 years and preferably have been widely adopted within the automotive or ground-transportation industries. As the first all-plastic integrated door-hardware module, it reduced components and fasteners by up to 75% by molding features into a single gas-assist injection-molded composite frame that literally “plugged-into” the inner door on the vehicle-assembly line, improving ergonomics and quality, saving labor time and costs, and reducing warranty claims.

According to SPE Hall of Fame committee co-chair, Nippani Rao, president, Rao & Associates, “The success of the SuperPlug program is easily seen when you consider that industry sources estimate that over 250-million integrated composite door-hardware modules have been produced globally by all suppliers since 1997 and used on over 60-million vehicles worldwide. At an average of 5 pounds of plastic per module, that’s over a billion pounds of resin consumed in just this one automotive application. That makes it an ideal example of the type of component that warrants an SPE Hall of Fame award.”

The module was jointly developed during a 5-year program that started in 1990 by then Delphi Interior & Lighting Systems (at the time a division of GM, and whose business, production, and patents have since been transferred to Inteva Products, LLC) and GE Plastics (now SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business unit). The collaboration this program fostered between the suppliers would eventually become a model of close business and technical alliances between members of the automotive supply chain.

At that time, the interior of conventional automotive doors featured dozens of separate components and subassemblies that were installed individually and had to be bolted, screwed, welded, and/or riveted into place in a labor-intensive process. Delphi had previously been successful with its steel back-plate door modules, which had moved assembly labor out of GM’s vehicle assembly plants and into the supplying plant. However, these modules did not eliminate labor; they only relocated it to a facility with more efficient assembly operations. As engineers at Delphi’s Advanced Development Group began working on the next-generation door-hardware module, they wanted to minimize labor, not just relocate it, and they proposed doing so by taking advantage of the design flexibility and parts consolidation possible with injection-molded plastics. Additional program goals were to meet GM’s targets for mass, parts, and cost reduction; investment savings; and shorter development times.

Through an iterative design process, using finite-element analysis, moldfilling analysis, design of experiments, design for assembly, process optimization, and extensive real-world production validation, a new design was created that could be molded to replace the sheet-metal module back plate with a single-piece modular frame. Gas-assist injection molding—which produces hollow sections in an otherwise solid-plastic part via injected gas that hollows out channels—was attractive for the module since it could produce lightweight parts with excellent stiffness and dimensional stability in a cycle time of 80 seconds without need for special (and costly) tooling features like slides. And a new grade of glass-reinforced Xenoy* polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate (PC/PBT) resin, specially developed by GE for the application, was specified for stiffness, strength, impact resistance, compatibility with automotive chemicals, and to improve energy absorption of the door panel vs. steel.

With the new module, many key components—including wire harnesses, the door handle, window guidance channels, stereo speakers, and electric motors—were snapped into place at Delphi’s assembly plant and pretested before being shipped to GM’s assembly lines. This improved the OEM’s material-handling situation and potentially reduced subsystem rejects by up to 96%. The modular design not only improved assembly but also made later serviceability/repair much simpler. Assembly ergonomics were further improved, since line workers no longer had to “fish” components into the door in various locations to be riveted or bolted in place, and the molded frame eliminated the die grease and sharp edges typical of traditional metal components. The module even had a molded-in carrying handle that made it easier for workers to remove it from shipping crates and position it inside the door cavity. With fewer attachments needed, fewer tools were required for assembly, lowering investment costs and assembly-line labor time by 3 minutes, netting a 10% cost savings.

By molding features into the plastic carrier, over 40 metal parts plus 15-25 fasteners were replaced with a single composite module and 5-6 fasteners. Hence, labor at all points in the build process was reduced, fewer components needed to be purchased, inventoried, and used, and a host of other benefits were also gained including over 50% reduction in warranty costs thanks to parts reductions and easier repair. Additionally, replacement of metal parts and fasteners with sound-absorbing plastics reduced high-frequency vibration and led to quieter motor/gear operations and hence doors with lower buzz/squeak/rattle (BSR) values. Scrap was reduced, since the new gas-assist process had a 99% yield quality. Weight was reduced approximately 3.3 lb/1.5 kg per door, which helped improve fuel economy and lower emissions. And the module, which was fully melt reprocessable once components were unloaded, met European recyclability requirements.

Interestingly, at the time it launched, the SuperPlug module represented three untried technologies: it was the first complex part ever produced with gas-assist injection molding; it used a new grade of glass-reinforced PC/PBT; and the component itself represented the highest level of parts integration then achieved with door modules.

So significant was the technology developed for this program that nine key patents were issued between October 1993 and June 1998. The module also won numerous prestigious awards, including: SPE ANTEC’s Plastics Industrial Product Design Award; Modern Plastics International magazine’s Process Award; Plastics & Rubber Weekly (PRW) magazine’s Award of Excellence in Transportation Category; the International Body Engineering Conference’s (IBEC’s) Design Award; and Design Fax magazine’s Five-Star Product of the Month Award.

On November 9 at SPE’s annual Automotive Innovation Awards Gala at Burton Manor (www.Burtonmanor.net) in Livonia, Mich., Kelly Gladney, director-Interior & Safety at GM will accept the award on behalf of the original GM team that worked on the program. Other team members who will be recognized on stage include William Hanna, vice-president and executive director-Closure Systems, Inteva Products, LLC; Suresh Shah, senior technical fellow, Delphi Corp.; and Matthew Marks, automotive marketing manager, SABIC Innovative Plastics.

The 2011 SPE Automotive Division Hall Of Fame committee was co-chaired by Nippani Rao, Rao & Associates and Dave Reed, retired, General Motors Corp. Committee members include Bonnie Bennyhoff, ExxonMobil Chemical; Terrence Cressy, DuPont Automotive; Fred Deans, Allied Composite Technologies, LLC; John Fialka, Styrolution Group GmbH; Ed Garnham, retired, General Motors Corp.; Anthony Gasbarro, Marubeni America Corp.; Jeffrey Helms, Ticona Engineering Polymers; Norm Kakarala, Inteva Products, LLC; James Kolb, American Chemistry Council; Mark Lapain, Magna International Inc.; Josh Madden, retired General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen North America Inc.; Gordon Miesel, retired, Ashland, Inc.; Allan Murray, Allied Composite Technologies, LLC; Kevin Pageau, Tegrant Corp.; Tom Pickett, General Motors Co.; Irv Poston, retired General Motors Corp.; Suresh Shah, Delphi Corp.; Venkatakrishnan Umamaheswaran, SABIC Innovative Plastics; and Bill Windscheif, Advanced Innovative Solutions, Ltd.

This year’s Automotive Innovation Awards Gala begins with the VIP Cocktail Reception at 4:30 p.m., generously sponsored by Ticona Engineering Polymers. At 5:00 p.m. the main exhibit area will open for general admission and guests can review this year’s Automotive Innovation Awards part nominations, as well as enjoy the specialty and antique vehicles that are always a highlight of the show. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the awards program itself will last from 7:00-9:00 p.m. For those who wish to extend merrymaking and networking activities, the ever-popular Afterglow – also sponsored by Ticona – will run from 9:00-11:00 p.m.

SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards Program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the world. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers, and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle and why it merits the claim as the Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics. This annual event typically draws 600 to 800 OEM engineers, automotive and plastics industry executives, and media. As is customary, funds raised from this event are used to support SPE educational efforts and technical seminars, which help educate and secure the role of plastics in the advancement of the automobile.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Automotive Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based-composite developments in the global transportation industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition and Gala, please visit the SPE Automotive Division website at http://speautomotive.com/inno and http://speautomotive.com/awa, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other society events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their owners.

® Chevrolet Venture and Malibu, Pontiac Transport, Oldsmobile Silhouette and Cutlass, and Opel Sintra are registered trademarks of General Motors Co.

® SuperPlug is a registered trademark of Inteva Products, LLC.

* Xenoy is a trademark of SABIC Innovative Plastics IP B.V.

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) today announced the finalists for its 41st-annual Automotive Innovation Awards Competition, the oldest and largest recognition event in the automotive and plastics industries.

Finalists survived a pre-qualification round, as well as presentations before a panel of industry experts on September 29-30.  Those selected from that round presented again before a Blue Ribbon panel of judges on October 10.

Category and Grand Award winners selected during the Blue Ribbon judging will be announced on November 9 during the Automotive Innovation Awards Gala at Burton Manor in the suburbs of Detroit.  The event begins with the VIP Cocktail Reception at 4:30 p.m., generously sponsored by Ticona Engineering Polymers. At 5:00 p.m. the main exhibit area will open for general admission and guests can review this year’s Automotive Innovation Awards part nominations, as well as enjoy the specialty and antique vehicles that are always a highlight of the show. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the awards program itself will last from 7:00-9:00 p.m. For those who wish to extend merrymaking and networking activities, the ever-popular Afterglow – also sponsored by Ticona – will run from 9:00-11:00 p.m.

For details on the nominations that were named finalists in this year’s competition, see the press release HERE.

To view photos of all nominations accepted into this year’s competition, see our Flickr page HERE.

To learn more about the event, see our event page HERE.

To purchase tickets or tables for this year’s event, see our registration form HERE.

In light of the aggressive new CAFE mileage standard targets – this 2-day conference – preceded by a half-day of concurrent (optional) workshops will assess the state of play in the fast-changing area of vehicle lightweighting.

See PN reporter Rhoda Miel’s recent story on the topic at http://bit.ly/caferules and PN editor Don Loepp’s related column at http://bit.ly/r5inox. Or this video shot by Rhoda — http://bit.ly/qeF7vy — which features CAR President/CEO Dr. Jay Baron, one of this conference’s speakers.)

In light of the aggressive new CAFE mileage standard targets – this 2-day conference – preceded by a half-day of concurrent (optional) workshops – will assess the state of play in the fast-changing area of vehicle lightweighting.

Various speakers and sessions will look at the role plastics can play in interiors, seating, exteriors, structural, powertrain and under-the-hood components, as well as in electrification, battery and hybrid technology. In addition to offering increased styling and design freedom, plastics also will play a key role in tomorrow’s environmentally friendly electric and hybrid vehicles — from traditional parts to battery components.

SPEAKER LINEUP

The conference opens Nov. 7 with a pair of concurrent (optional) afternoon workshops presented by Engel Group and Sigma Plastic Services, followed by two days of speaker sessions – with plenty of time built in for networking among the exhibits.

To review the current conference agenda, including optional workshops, click here.

To learn about exhibits & sponsorship opportunities, click here.

To learn about the venue & hotel discounts, click here.

WORKSHOP 1:

By Sigma Plastic Services Inc.

Presenter: Matt Proske, Applications Manager

Plastics plays a key role in reducing weight while maintaining strength in the pursuit to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions for future automobile designs. However, with new products and materials come challenges. At this workshop, Sigma will offer strategies for excelling at new product development and production.

 WORKSHOP 2:

By Engel Group (see full details of this workshop)

Presenters (and their topics):

- Prof. Georg Steinbichler, VP R&D Technologies:  On process technologies in the manufacturing of CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics)

- Franz Hinterreiter, Sales Manager Business Unit Automotive & Technical:  On advancements in injection molding technology for the automotive industry

- Joachim Kragl, Dir. of Advance Molding Systems and Processing:  On reduced weight, minimal complexity made possible by innovative molding processes

Plastics in Lightweight & Electric Vehicles 2011 will end at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 so that participants can then go down the street to the SPE Automotive Division’s Innovation Awards Competition & Gala that evening at Burton Manor in Livonia (just 5 miles east of the PN Global Group conference at Laurel Manor). Plastics in Lightweight & Electric Vehicle attendees may register at the discounted rate of $150/seat and get a free pass to the VIP reception.

REGISTER TODAY

Save $100 when you register by October 14!   SPE members save an additional 25%.

For details and to register: www.autolightweighting.com

Use SPE Discount Code: SPEmeber

CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions? Contact the organizers here.

SPONSORED BY

Preparations for the thirteenth-annual SPE® Automotive TPO Global Conference, the world’s leading automotive polyolefins forum organized by the Detroit Section of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE®) International, is nearly done and, thanks to a recovering global automotive market, a strong technical program is shaping up for the two-and-a-half-day annual event. Four keynote speakers, a panel discussion, two networking receptions, and special new technical sessions on Polyolefin Foams and Advances in Process Developments and Automotive TPOs/TPEs join traditional sessions on Materials Development, Surface Enhancements, and Process Enhancements, and Applications Development.

Technical program chair, Norm Kakarala, senior technical fellow, Inteva Products LLC, notes, “This year’s technical program features more than 40 talks from all sectors of the automotive plastics industry – from OEMs and molders to materials, additives, and reinforcement suppliers, to universities – and we’ve seen increased participation from our colleagues in Europe and Asia. As our industry steps up to the challenge of higher fuel efficiency and greater sustainability, plus competing in a global marketplace, there is considerable growth opportunity for polyolefins. To highlight this, we’ve added two new sessions this year. Polyolefin Foams will cover sheet foams and cellular plastics that increasingly are being used on vehicle interiors to reduce weight and save process steps. Automotive TPO/TPEs will examine new materials and processes for body/glazing seals, interior skins, wire & cable, airbag doors, and shifting requirements for underhood components. As always, our program emphasis is on providing practical information and highlighting emerging trends impacting this industry.”

Conference festivities begin Sunday evening, October 2, as the SPE Detroit Section welcomes sponsors and exhibitors who are setting up their displays before the conference begins with a networking reception that runs from 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Monday, October 3, 2011: Day 1 Highlights

After opening remarks by 2011 SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference co-chair, Bill Windscheif, Advanced Innovative Solutions, Ltd., the event’s first keynote address – Global Automotive Light-Weight Marketing, Where Do We Go from Here? – will be given by Jeff Schuster, executive director, J.D. Power and Associates. This will be followed by brief comments by 2011 technical program chair, Norm Kakarala, Inteva Products LLC, on the event’s technical program, and then the Materials Development session will begin. Moderated by Patricia Tibbenham, Ford Motor Co. and Neil Fuenmayor, LyondellBasell Industries, the day-long technical session will start with a plenary presentation by Todd Glogovsky, LyondellBasell Industries on Automotive Thermoplastic Polyolefins: Challenges and Opportunities and will be followed by 10 presentations throughout the morning and afternoon. Topics include:

• High-Flow, Fast-Cycle Time TPO with Improved Appearance (Jeff Valentage, ExxonMobil Chemical Co. and 2011 conference co-chair);
• New Polypropylene Beta Nucleation Technology for Improving Impact-Stiffness Balance of Neat & Talc-Filled PP and TPO Parts (Philip Jacoby, Mayzo);
• Advanced Additive Technologies for Polypropylene-Based Automotive Applications (Takahiro Horikoshi, ADEKA Corporation);
• Sustainability in Automotive with PP Compounds (Harry Daalmans, SABIC Innovative Plastics);
• Using Recycled Tire Rubber in Unique Polyolefin Compounds (Paris Stetkiw, ACI);
• Technology Trends in Movement of TPOs and TPVS to Reactor Made Metallocene Polyolefins (Balaji Singh and J. N. Swamy, Chemical Market Resources, Inc.);
• Innovative Polypropylene Material Concepts for Lightweight Interiors with Improved Surface Quality (Robert Gubo, Boreallis);
• New Generation of Sustainable and Innovative Talc Products for Automotive TPO (Fredric Jouffret, Imerys Talc);
• Quantitative Machine Vision Assessment of Scratch Visibility of Textured TPO Surfaces (Noah Smith, Surface Machine Systems and Texas A&M University); and
• Correlation Between Constitutive Behavior and Scratch Visibility Resistance of Polymers – A Finite Element Parametric Study (Mohammad Motaher Hossain, Texas A&M University).

After lunch, a second keynote entitled Polyolefins are a Sustainable Solution will be presented by Tom Henry, global automotive business manager, ExxonMobil Chemical Co. The day ends with an open networking reception sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical Co. to which all conference participants are invited.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011: Day 2 Highlights

The second day of the conference opens with a keynote by Leon Jacobs, Polypropylene (PP) global business director, SABIC Innovative Plastics on The Opportunities & Challenges of a Globalizing Automotive Industry. Immediately following this talk, a half-day session of six papers begins on Advanced Polyolefin Compounds, moderated by Mike Balow, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America and Sassan Tarahomi, IAC. Topics include:

• Next Generation Polypropylene Compounds (Ramesh Iyer, Mike Balow, and Deen Chundury, Asahi Kasei Plastics N.A. Inc.);
• Polypropylene-Glass Fiber Compounding Technology for Cost Effective PA Replacement Providing Fuel Economy and Production Efficiency (Thomas Wagner, Borealis);
• Recycled Glass Powder as Filler in Green Products (Joe Keating, Vitro Minerals);
• Stiffness Comparison of Mica to Other Mineral Filled Polypropylene and Polyamide Composites (Eric Ernst, Imerys North American Performance Minerals);
• High Performance Engineered Thermolene P9 Compounds for Automotive Under the Hood Applications (John Klein, Asahi Kasei Plastics N.A. Inc.); and
• Lightweight Design with STAMAX Long Glass Polypropylene (LGFPP) Resin (Marnik Vaes and Warden Schijve, SABIC Innovative Plastics).

After lunch, the event’s annual Executive Management Panel Discussion returns for 75 minutes with a theme of On the Road Again Toward 2016 and will be moderated by Bob Eller, Robert Eller Associates LLC and Ron Price, Global Polymer Solutions. Immediately following the panel discussion, two concurrent technical sessions will begin. The first session, Automotive TPOs/TPEs, moderated by Bob Eller and Jeff Valentage features six presentations on the following topics:

• TPEs and TPOs Exploring the Global Automotive Interface (Bob Eller, Robert Eller Associates LLC);
• Thermoplastic Elastomers – Formulating in Performance for Today’s Demanding Applications (Jeff Davis, Dave Patel, Comtrex LLC);
• Weight Reduction Potential in Automotive Sealing Systems (Jeff Valentage, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.)
• Development of New Corner Molding TPV Material for Automotive Doorseals (Noriyoshi Oono, JSR Corp.);
• Material Innovations for Environment and Cost Benefits in Airbag Covers (Kazuyuki Matsunaga, Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd.); and
• New Possibilities with Highly Filled Vistamaxx™ Polypropylene-Based Elastomers (Felix Zacarias, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.).

The second concurrent session on Tuesday afternoon, Surface Enhancements, will be moderated by Rose Ryntz, International Automotive Components (IAC) and also features six presentations on the following topics:

• The Use of TPOs in Interior Aesthetic Applications (Rose A. Ryntz, IAC);
• Urethane Paint Protection Films Serve (PPF) as an Effective Protection Agent Against Stone and Other Small Road Debris Impingement (Michael Merwin, FLEXcon);
• Novel Wetting Measurements for Quality Assurance of TPO Surface Treatment Processes (Giles Dilligham, Brighton Technology Group, Inc.);
• New Approaches Using Atmospheric Plasma Technologies for TPO Applications (Bob Neumann, Enercon Industries);
• New Experimental Blends with Superior Scratch and Mar, Stickiness, Fogging and Light Stability Performance for Interior TPO Resins (Nikolas Kaprinidis and Kristin Poljan, BASF Corp.); and
• Value of NOR HALS in UV Stabilization for Automotive Applications (Nikolas Kaprinidis, BASF Corp.).

The evening will end with a networking reception sponsored by SABIC Innovative Plastics, to which all conference participants are invited.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011: Day 3 Highlights

The conference’s last day begins with a keynote address on CAFE Requirements: Lightweighting for Improved Energy Efficiency by Dagmar van Heur, vice-president-Automotive at Styron LLC. Immediately following the talk, two parallel technical sessions will begin. The first, Polyolefin Foams and Advances in Process Developments, will be moderated Dave Okonski, General Motors Co. and Suresh Shah, Delphi Corp. and features six presentations.

• Invited Plenary Presentation: State-of-the-Art TPO Foaming Technology in Extrusion and Injection Molding (Chul B. Park, director, Micromolecular Plastics Mfg. Lab., Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto);
• Understanding Cost Savings with Chemical Foaming Agents (Peter Schroeck, Reedy International Corp.);
• Effective Application of Global Specifications and Shrinkage Variation vs. Processing Conditions (Charles Buehler, David Okonski, Kristina Baldwin of General Motors Co. and Jane Horal, LyondellBasell Industries);
• New Crosslinked Olefin Foams for Soft Touch Automotive Interior Trim Applications (Jesse Baldwin, Toray Plastics (America) Inc.);
• Aluminum Mold Tooling for Polyolefin Applications in the Automotive Industry (David A. Okonski, General Motors Co., Jane Horal, LyondellBasell, and Ron Smierciak, Alcoa Forgings and Extrusions); and
• How Cosmetic Issues Associated with Sequential Filling can be Eliminated through Advanced Valve Gate Control (Bill Rousseau, Synventive Molding Solutions).

The second session on Applications Development will be moderated by Tom Pickett, General Motors Co. and Tom Traugott, Advanced Composites and also features six presentations:

• Evolution of Automotive Exteriors and Next Generation TPO Challenges (Chris R. Davey, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.);
• CO2 Reduction by Lightweighting of Plastic Car Parts with Low Density TPO Compounds (Wouter Reyntjens, Milliken & Co.);
• Fluid Assist Injection Molded Parts and Applications with FibreTuff, a Natural Fiber Composite (Robert Joyce, Innovative Plastics and Molding);
• Pre-Applied Latent Reactive Hot Melt Adhesives: Interior Automotive TPO Applications (Nicole O’Brien, Dominik Fuhrer, nolax AG);
• Evaluating the Scratch Package Effectiveness After Solar Aging (Dave Helmer, General Motors Co.); and
• Optimization of Scratch Resistance for Molded in Color Interior Thermoplastic Olefin Injection Molded Plastics Part II (Renee Hotton, General Motors Co.).

The 2011 SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference ends at 11:45 a.m. The event’s preliminary technical program is at http://auto-tpo.com.

Sponsorship

Invaluable support for the 2011 event has been provided by: Platinum-Level Sponsors, Advanced Composites*, ExxonMobil Chemical Co.* and SABIC Innovative Plastics*; Gold-Level Sponsors, CIMBAR Performance Minerals*, The Dow Chemical Co.*, Imerys Talc*, International Automotive Components (IAC) Group*, Inteva Products LLC, LyondellBasell Industries*, Milliken & Co.*, Mitsui Plastics, Inc.*, Mytex Polymers U.S. Corp.*, NYCO Minerals*, Robert Eller Associates LLC*, Styron LLC*, Sumitomo Chemical America, Inc.*, and Washington Penn; Exhibitors, Adchem Corp., Americhem, Inc., Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc., A. Schulman, BASF Corp., Borealis AG, Brentwood Industries, Inc., BYK Gardner USA (A Member of Altana), Chem-Trend, Detroit Testing Laboratory, Inc., Evonik Industries AG, Flint Hills Resources, IMI Fabi LLC, JSR America, Macro-M, Nobel Polymers, Premier Material Concepts (PMC), Reliable Analysis, Inc., Spartech Corp., Surface Machine Systems, LLC, Techmer PM, and United Paint & Chemical Corp.; Coffee-Break Sponsor, Formosa Plastics Corp., U.S.A.; Media / Association Sponsors, Automotive Design & Production magazine, Automotive NewsWire, China Plastics & Rubber Journal and China Plastics & Rubber Journal International magazines, Modern Plastics India Magazine, Plastics Engineering magazine, Plastics Technology magazine, Plaspec Global Plastics Selector, Polymotive magazine, Rubber World magazine, TPE magazine, and Ward’s AutoWorld magazine.

(*Denotes sponsor is also an exhibitor)

About the Automotive TPO Global Conference

Since 1998, the SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference has highlighted the importance of rigid and flexible polyolefins throughout the automobile – in applications ranging from semi-structural composite underbody shields and front-end modules to soft-touch interior skins and bumper fascia. Throughout that time, polyolefins have been the fastest-growing segment of the global plastics industry owing to their excellent cost / performance ratio. The show typically draws over 400 attendees from 20 countries on four continents who are interested in learning about the latest in rigid and elastomeric thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) as well as thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) technologies. Fully a third of conference attendees say they work for a transportation OEM, and roughly 20% work for a tier integrator / molder, with the balance representing materials or reinforcement suppliers, equipment OEMs, industry consultants, media, and members of academia. As such, the event offers attendees a rich environment in which to network and explore the latest developments in materials, processing, and applications for these versatile families of thermoplastic resins.

Traditional technical sessions on Materials Development, Polypropylene Compounds, Applications Development, and Surface Enhancements are planned for this year’s program, as well as new sessions on TPO / TPE Interfaces and Polyolefin Foams & Advances in Olefin Processes. The event will be held at the Detroit-Marriott-Troy hotel (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dtttt-detroit-marriott-troy/?clusterCode=MW1).

About SPE®

The mission of SPE International is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. SPE’s Detroit Section is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composites developments – particularly in the automotive industry. Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive TPO Global Conference, to view the conference’s evolving technical program, or to register to attend the event, please visit http://auto-tpo.com or http://speautomotive.com/tpo.htm, or call +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Detroit Section, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers International, see www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Thomas (Tom) G. Loken, a doctoral candidate in Mechanical Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, Wisc.) as well as a project engineer at The Madison Group (Madison, Wisc.), is the second 2011-2012 winner of the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) graduate-level scholarship in transportation composites research. Loken, who is from Winona, Minn. and expects to graduate in 2014, won this year’s second scholarship for a research project analyzing the effects of processing conditions on fiber-length distribution in short-fiber composites. He will receive his $2,000 USD check this fall and will report the results of his research during the twelfth-annual SPE ACCE, September 11-13, 2012.

Short-fiber thermoplastic composite materials are widely used in the automotive industry. These materials offer enhanced mechanical properties over unfilled resins, yet remain viable for high-volume production methods, such as injection molding, making metals replacement cost-effective thanks to parts consolidation, weight reduction, and elimination of secondary-finishing operations. However, the mechanical properties of fiber-filled composites are strongly influenced by orientation and length/diameter (L/D) ratios of reinforcing fibers, making final part properties highly dependent upon processing conditions. In the case of injection molding, fiber damage and attrition can occur during processing, reducing final L/D ratio. Therefore it is useful to understand which process parameters have the greatest effect on final fiber length distribution.

“The focus of my research is to study the effects of varying process conditions on the final fiber-length distribution in short-fiber thermoplastic composites,” explains Loken. “I am studying injection molding of a commercially available grade of short-glass/polypropylene and the influence of process variables like injection speed, screw speed, mold temperature, and barrel temperature. Injection speed controls the shear rate of the resin as it passes through the nozzle, runner, gate, and into the mold cavity. Screw speed controls the shear rate of the material during plastification in the barrel. Barrel temperature impacts the resin viscosity. And mold temperature affects material flow into the tool. Once test specimens have been molded, they will tensile tested per ASTM-D638 specifications to obtain tensile strength and modulus values, which will be studied as response variables. Samples with the most varied tensile properties will be selected for fiber-length distribution measurements. I’ve set my project up as a two-level factorial design of experiments (DOE) study to evaluate interaction between process variables. Because temperatures are hard to change, a split-plot design will be used. From personal experience, I’ve found that experimental designs are useful because full randomization is neither cost effective, nor practical. However, careful examination of the treatment variables to account for the split-plot design and randomization restrictions is necessary. I hope that the results will show which variable or variables have the greatest influence on tensile properties, what process interactions are present, and how varying process parameters influences the final fiber L/D ratio and measurement technique.”

Thomas Loken holds a B.S. degree in Composite Materials Engineering from Winona State University (Winona, Minn.), which he received in 2009. During his undergraduate studies he worked as a testing intern at the school’s Composite Materials Technology Center (COMTEC), where he conducted mechanical and analytical testing on composites and plastics. He also worked as a process engineering intern at RTP Co. (Winona, Minn.) in the extrusion/compounding of thermoplastics and short-fiber composites. At RTP, Loken was responsible for SPC charting, corrective actions, and process studies. After graduating, he served as the manufacturing engineer at Rolco Inc. (Kasota, Minn.) where he managed work instructions, corrective action requests, and process optimization, and project managed four family tools used to produce automotive parts using glass-filled polyamide – from mold inspection, to sampling, to production. Loken also conducted considerable research – using factorial screening experiments, response surface experiments, and validation – on secondary spin-welding operations for these parts to ensure a hermetic seal was achieved. He is currently a project engineer at The Madison Group where he conducts failure analysis of plastics and provides consulting services to the plastics community. Loken is concurrently a full-time graduate student in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working with Drs. Tim Osswald and Paul Gramann.

About the SPE ACCE

Held annually in suburban Detroit, the SPE ACCE typically draws 400+ speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees from 14 countries on five continents and provides an environment dedicated solely to discussion and networking about advances in transportation composites. Its global appeal is evident in the diversity of exhibitors, speakers, and attendees who come to the conference from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia / Pacific as well as North America and who represent transportation OEMs — traditional automotive and light truck, as well as agriculture, truck & bus, and aviation – and tier suppliers; composite materials, processing equipment, additives, and reinforcement suppliers; trade associations, consultants, university and government labs; media; and investment bankers. The show is sponsored jointly by SPE’s Automotive and Composites Divisions.

Current sponsors and exhibitors for the show include: Ticona Engineering Polymers, Dieffenbacher GmbH, Magna Exteriors and Interiors, Continental Structural Plastics, RTP Co., American Composite Manufacturers Assoc.’s (ACMA’s) Automotive Composites Alliance (ACA), Bayer MaterialScience, Addcomp North America, Inc., AOC Resins, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc., Toho Tenax America, Inc., PPG Industries, Acrolab, Ltd., OCV Reinforcements, Bulk Molding Compounds Inc., The Composites Group, Quantum Composites, Ashland Inc., American Chemistry Council – Plastics Div., Dassault Systèmes, BASF, e-Xstream engineering, Flow International Corp., Polystrand, Williams, White & Co., Plasan Carbon Composites, Mitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd., Newport Adhesives & Composites Inc., National Research Council Canada (NRC), DASI Solutions, LayStitch Technologies, Core Molding Technologies, Inc., Reinforced Plastics magazine, Composites Technology magazine, High-Performance Composites magazine, CompositesWorld Weekly eZine, Ward’s AutoWorld magazine, WardsAuto.com, Plastics Technology magazine, Plaspec Global Plastics Selector, Polymotive magazine, Automotive Design & Production magazine, AutoField Blog, China Plastics & Rubber Journal, China Plastics & Rubber Journal International, Plastics Engineering magazine, Automotive NewsWire eZine, SAE International, Automotive Engineering International magazine, JEC Group, Composites Europe, and Modern Plastics India Magazine.

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to plastics. SPE’s Automotive and Composites Divisions work to advance plastics and plastic-based composites technologies worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about these advances. Both divisions are dedicated to educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments for all phases of plastics and plastic-based composite developments, including materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design and testing, and application development.

For more information about the SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition, visit the Automotive Division’s website at http://speautomotive.com/comp.htm, or the Composites’ Division website at http://compositeshelp.com, or contact the group at +1.248.244.8993, or write SPE Automotive Division, 1800 Crooks Road, Suite A, Troy, MI 48084, USA. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers or other SPE events, visit the SPE website at www.4spe.org, or call +1.203.775.0471.

# # # # #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The eleventh annual SPE Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) returns to the MSU Management Education Center in Troy, Mich., on September 13-15, 2011. This year, two panel discussions will evaluate important trends providing opportunities for the automotive and composites industries.

On Tuesday afternoon, September 13, 2011, from 4:30-6:00 p.m., the first panel will explore:  The Role of Composites in Battery Cases & Trays for Fleet Electrification.

Battery packs that power hybrid- and battery-electric vehicles (HEVs & BEVs) bring their own special challenges for vehicle designers yet provide an excellent opportunity for composites to shine. First, batteries are heavy, making it important that trays be structural and able to support significant mass without creeping over a wide range of temperatures for the life of the vehicle. Furthermore, owing to consumer “range anxiety” and the desire to extend practical driving range on these vehicles, it is highly desirable to reduce weight wherever possible. Still another challenge is that batteries are caustic, so it is important that both cases and trays be corrosion resistant and able to withstand the aggressive chemicals inside. Last, metal-oxide batteries operate at high temperatures, so materials for battery cases and trays must also provide sufficient thermal performance. This panel discussion will evaluate the challenges and opportunities presented by fleet electrification and the materials technologies that are working and those that are not.

The panel will be moderated by Drew Winter, editor-in-chief, Ward’s AutoWorld magazine.

Panelists currently confirmed include:

• Jim Dutchik, Business Development manager, Asahi Kasei Plastics North America, Inc.;
• Frank Henning, deputy director, Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology;
• Kestutis “Stu” Sonta, lead composites senior materials engineer, General Motors Co.; and
• Joe Bodary, manager-Engineering & Prototype, Continental Structural Plastics.

On Wednesday afternoon, September 14, 2011, from 4:30-6:00 p.m., the second panel will discuss:  Measuring the Sustainability Proposition of Composites.

The automotive industry faces numerous new green initiatives, including end-of-life materials recovery, significantly boosting average vehicle fuel economy, and reducing its carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint – both during production and throughout the use life of its vehicles. This makes it increasingly important for the composites industry to be able to provide quantitative data on just how sustainable composites are as a materials technology vs. metallic alternatives. However, defining just what is green and how that should be measured is a significant hurdle at present. This panel discussion will evaluate some of the more useful tools currently available, such as life-cycle analysis (LCA), and consider how to accurately and fairly begin the process of quantifying the sustainability proposition of composites.

The panel will be moderated by Jeff Sloan, editor-in-chief of CompositesWorld.com.

Panel members include

• Shristy Bashyal, graduate student, University of Missouri;
• Ashish Diwanji, vice-president of Innovations, Owens Corning;
• Antony Dodworth, managing director, Dodworth Design;
• Mark Voss, lead composites engineer, General Motors Co.;
• C. David Warren, program manager-Transportation Materials & Carbon Fiber, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and
• Jaap van der Woude, director-Science & Technology Europe, Environmental, PPG Industries.

For more information for the 2011 SPE ACCE, the world’s leading automotive composites forum, please see http://speautomotive.com/comp. To access program guides and conference proceedings from all ten previous SPE ACCE shows, please see http://speautomotive.com/aca. The event’s preliminary technical program has been posted on the website.

#  #  #  #  #

® SPE is a registered trademark of the Society of Plastics Engineers.  All other trademarks are the property of their owners.