𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐕𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬

The Automotive Division of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has named the winners of its 55th annual Automotive Innovation Awards Program, the oldest and largest recognition event in the #automotive and plastics industries, established in 1970. The announcement was made the evening of November 4, 2026, during the SPE Automotive Innovation Awards ceremony.

The Body Exterior Category winner — a thermoplastic truck bed previously profiled by PlasticsToday — also took home this year's Grand Award. The Grand Award winner is selected from the winners of each of the eight part categories by a panel of Blue Ribbon Judges made up of industry experts. The Sustainability category winner, an application using carbon-captured #polyacetal (POM) in fuel pump module subcomponents, was detailed in a previous article, as was the Electric and Autonomous Vehicle Systems category winner, a cosmetic and structural #glassmatthermoplastic (GMT) frunk. Here, the Body Exterior and Materials category winners are recognized.

𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫:

A structural console bracket used in the 2027 GM Bolt EV topped this award category. Supplied by #USFarathane, the single-shot, injection-molded #bracket replaces a three-piece welded steel assembly as the structural bridge between the front and rear sections of a two-piece floor console. The bracket ties both sections to the lower body structure, controlling cross-car sway, cupholder shake, and rattle while meeting a 900 N abuse load.

Optimized rib architecture in a 25% glass-fiber, 15% mineral-filled #polypropylene (PP) homopolymer with 60% recycled content, supplied by Washington Penn, raises the console's modal frequency from 26.5 Hz to 27.37 Hz. Unit cost fell 83%, and mass dropped by nearly 456%, from 520.5 g to 282.0 g. Delta Tooling also compressed mold delivery lead time from 36 weeks to 12 weeks, and its design eliminated multi-point welding, removing weld-quality risk altogether.

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡:

In a first for Ford, a pre-colored, unfilled polyamide (PA) 6 blend delivered a high-gloss, piano black finish on door handle bezels — without paint and without rapid heat-and-cool tooling — for the 2026 Everest. BASF supplied the Ultramid D3K R01 BK 23361 PA, which Thailand's Supavut Industry injection-molded.

Previous paint-free approaches required specialty molds and presses. This time, a standard injection mold and press, supplied by Malaysia's #SinKwangPlasticIndustries, reproduced a mirror-polished cavity through a wall-thickness flow leader that places the weld line where it's nearly invisible, along with gating designed for maximum cavity pressure without parting-line flash.

Additives also provide scratch, mar, and UV resistance for four bezels per vehicle in high-touch zones. Replacing painted ABS resin eliminates paint racks, paint scrap, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), while the single-material part simplifies end-of-life recycling.

source : Plastics Today