Spanning nine categories, the winners of the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division’s 2018 Blue Ribbon Automotive Innovative Awards (which this editor helped judge) represent a number of “firsts” in metal replacement and in replacing earlier plastics solutions with better options. In this 47th annual competition—the oldest and largest such event in the automotive and plastics industries, all but one category entailed the use of thermoplastics.

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AFTERMARKET: BEDLINER DIVIDER

Designed for GM’s 2017 Chevrolet Silverado pickup, this “first-time” twin-sheet thermoformed bedliner divider is integrated into the bedliner as one piece. By not having to manufacture a separate floor divider part, there was a cost savings of $275. Manufactured by Penda Durakon, the divider is made of TPP 1026EU TPO from A.Schulman Inc., Fairlawn, Ohio. It incorporates a molded-in locking feature to secure the divider to the truck wall when it is raised.

Read the full article as originally published on Plastics Technology.