High gloss, lightweight, recycled materials win European auto awards | Plastics News

The Society of Plastics Engineers Central Europe held its 22nd Automotive Awards Night in Bonn, Germany, in a series stretching back to 1992.

The 23rd Award Night will be held on Oct. 6, 2025, shortly before the K 2025 fair, Oct. 8-15, 2025.

Among a total of 43 submissions, body exterior first place went to a "ColorFuse" high-gloss piano black wheel arch liner produced by Techniplas Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH for the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line since November 2023.

The part is free of sink marks, flow lines and release agents, and it is produced by single-shot, solvent-free, three-component injection molding on a Spinform machine from Parsdorf, Germany-based KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH. The wheel arch liner uses a polycarbonate/ABS blend from Leverkusen, Germany-based Covestro AG and TPE for bodywork contact from Waldkraiburg, Germany-based Kraiburg TPE GmbH & Co. KG.

Techniplas applies aliphatic polyurea in-mold coating from Leverkusen-based Panadur GmbH in a separate mold cavity.

The compact part achieved 30 percent weight reduction. It reduces costs and saves energy by elimination of assembly operations and painting, with its associated overspray and waste.

A roof rail support pad molded by Untereisesheim, Germany-based Gutsche Engineering GmbH for the Mercedes-Benz GLC since June 2022 took exterior second place. Gutsche uses TL80WG, a Shore A 80 hardness TPE filled with 3M Deutschland GmbH glass bubbles, reducing weight by 25 percent. Kraiburg TPE claims 75 percent sustainable materials content.

First place in the powertrain category went to a Daimler AG engine cover, molded since April 2021 by Bad Soden-Salmünster, Germany-based Woco Industrietechnik GmbH.

The Wocomid TX GF35HW4 compound used is a special and renamed version of Akromid C3GF35 5XTC, a 35 percent glass-fiber-reinforced, heat-stabilized nylon 6.6/6 blend, made by Niederzissen, Germany-based compounder Akro-Plastic GmbH.

Woco molds the part in the MuCell microcellular foam process from Tellig, Germany-based Trexel GmbH, with weight, tool temperature and cycle time advantages.

Akro-Plastic led among material suppliers, featuring in 10 awards. That included the second-place winner in powertrain, for a Porsche Taycan cooler module, molded and direct lasered as from 1Q 2024 by Milan, Italy-headquartered Sogefi SpA. The 30 percent glass-fiber-reinforced Akrotek PKVMGF30 modified aliphatic polyketone grade has a smaller environmental footprint than nylon 6/6, PPA or PPS.

Also in powertrain, fifth place went to a part with "up to 100 percent" Renycle mechanically recycled nylon 6 compounds from Chignolo d'Isola, Italy-based Radici Novacips SpA. The parts are molded by Corbetta, Italy-headquartered Marelli Europe SpA into the 2021 model year electric drive Fiat 500E car air intake manifold.

The nylon 6 grades are 35 percent glass-fiber-reinforced AGF3504K and 30 percent glass-fiber-reinforced heat-stabilized and release-agent-modified SGF3004K. Radici claims 70 percent lower CO2 emission, SGF3004K having global warming potential slightly over 1 kg CO2 equivalent per kg, compared with above 5 kg with virgin nylon 6.

A EZ-Go tractor battery housing and cell holders in GF-PA6 07 Battery housing+cell holders.

A Volkswagen ID7 electric car instrument panel (IP) crossbeam took first place for body interior. Wallau, Germany-based Stieler Kunststoff Service GmbH has molded the crossbeam since Q3 2023 for Forvia SE on a KraussMaffei machine. The part uses 25 percent glass-fiber-reinforced PP from Basell Deutschland GmbH. Gas-assist channels on both sides boost stiffness.

A Lucid Motors Gravity IV electric car took chassis/structural first place for a hybrid plastic/metal IP crossbeam, due for production in Q4 2024. The molder, ElringKlinger AG, produces similar hollow aluminum profile-based crossbeams in a hydroforming technique licensed from original use at Daimler in Hamburg, Germany. Fluid at high pressure inside an aluminum profile simultaneously forms the profile shape while preventing profile collapse from overmolding injection pressure.

But instead of a glass-fiber-reinforced nylon 6 from Envalior GmbH, ElringKlinger has cut weight in the Lucid application by 10 percent through switching to Akromid B3 ICF 30, a 30 percent recycled carbon-fiber-reinforced nylon 6 from Akro-Plastic, molded on a machine from Schwertberg-based Engel Austria GmbH.

The EZ-Go electric drive tractor received an enabler technology award for its Pentatonic battery housing and cell holders.

Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG has molded the parts on Engel Austria machinery since May 2023, the honeycomb structure battery cell holder with integrated cooling channels in Envalior Durethan B30S 30 percent glass fiber reinforced nylon 6, but Akro-Plastic 50 percent glass-fiber-reinforced Akromid nylon 6 grade for the housing.

Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

Please enter a valid email address.

Please enter your email address.

Please verify captcha.

Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

Find more newsletters at plasticsnews.com/newsletters.You can unsubscribe at any time through links in these emails. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.