<\/p>\n
A natural fiber-reinforced plastic automotive technology was among winners of the third-annual Altair Enlighten Award, created to recognize innovation in automotive weight reduction. Altair Engineering Inc. and the Center for Automotive Research announced the winners Aug. 3 at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.<\/p>\n
Faurecia SA, along with Automotive Performance Materials, its joint venture with French agricultural cooperative Interval, was named second runner-up for the hemp-reinforced plastic instrument panels, center consoles and door panels in PSA Peugeot-Citro\u00ebn\u2019s 308 production vehicle.<\/p>\n
The material, called NafiLean, incorporates hemp-based fiber with polypropylene and can be used in traditional injection machines, Faurecia says. The technology achieved weight savings of 20 to 25 percent compared to a standard plastic, according to Altair.<\/p>\n
First place was awarded to Ford Motor Co. for its F-150 pickup, using high-strength aluminum alloys and other technologies to achieve weight savings of 700 pounds. First runner-up was General Motors Co., for its use of computer-aided engineering methods to save 163 pounds on the 2012 Cadillac ATS\/CTS.<\/p>\n
Plastics were well represented among the award nominees, which included a thermoplastic lift-gate using material from Trinseo SA, appearing in 2015 Renault Espace, and carbon fiber composite grille opening reinforcements on Ford Shelby GT 350 Mustang, a collaboration between BASF SE, Ford and Magna International Inc., among other technologies.<\/p>\n
The 3-year-old Altair Enlighten Award had a total of 17 nominations this year, the growth emblematic of a growing emphasis on lightweighting, said Dave Mason, vice president of global automotive at Altair.<\/p>\n
As part of its business, which includes using simulation technology to optimize designs, Altair has been involved with automotive lightweighting for decades, Mason said. In the past few years he\u2019s seen a shift of interest in lightweighting, producing more real-world examples of composites, more mainstream media attention and more industry focus on weight reduction, such as a dedicated lightweighting session at MBS.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that we get to come out and talk about what we know and love and that we think is having a big impact is really great,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
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