SABIC Innovative Plastics today announced that its lightweight, high-performance SABIC STAMAX long glass fiber polypropylene (LGFPP) resin helped Hyundai-Kia Motors win a coveted Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) 2010 Innovation Award on Nov. 9. The Chassis Hardware category award honored the 2011 Hyundai Sonata's plastic door module featuring an integrated window guide rail.
This major application, which utilized STAMAX 30-percent glass-reinforced resin to replace steel in all four door panels, cut total vehicle weight by approximately 4 lbs (2 kgs), enabled 21 components to be integrated into a single injection-molded part, and cut overall system costs by streamlining five assembly processes into one.
2011 Hyundai Sonata Door Modules Made Using SABIC Innovative Plastics’ SABIC® STAMAX® Long Glass Fiber Polypropylene Resin.
"We're honored to have helped Hyundai win this prestigious award, which showcases the many benefits of utilizing our STAMAX resins to simplify both the design and the manufacture of door modules," said Gregory A. Adams, vice president, Automotive, SABIC Innovative Plastics. "STAMAX resins are among the newest materials in our broad and growing portfolio. With their huge potential for the automotive industry, we have already announced plans to expand capacity at our Bay St. Louis facility in Mississippi. We're confident that our focus on innovative solutions and close collaboration will enable our customers to create other award-winning applications in the future."
The Hyundai Sonata door module is just the latest of many applications featuring SABIC Innovative Plastics materials that have received SPE awards. This recognition attests to the strong trend in the automotive industry to expand the use of SABIC Innovative Plastics' solutions to achieve key objectives of weight-out, cost-out and greater design freedom.
Ideal for Integration
"Our work with SABIC Innovative Plastics on the Sonata door module resulted in an elegant, simplified design that fully integrates the window guide rail," said Daniel Vivian, director of engineering design, Hyundai - Kia Motors. "This was our first experience with STAMAX resin, and it surpassed our expectations by delivering the high performance of steel while improving overall quality and cutting weight and costs. Plastic door modules make an important contribution to the high quality, fuel efficiency and affordability of the new Sonata, and we look forward to future collaborations with SABIC Innovative Plastics."
SABIC STAMAX LGFPP grades support design of semi-structural automotive applications that combine light weight with functional integration, such as front-end modules, instrument panel carriers, tailgates and seating systems. Compared to short glass fiber PP, STAMAX resins deliver higher impact resistance and stiffness and improved dimensional stability for tight tolerances.