Cooper Standard and DSM were honored with a Society of Plastics Engineers’ (SPE) Automotive Innovation Award during last week’s annual awards gala. The team won SPE’s “Most Innovative Use of Plastics” award in the “materials” category for Cooper Standard’s High Performance Vacuum Brake Tubes designed for automotive industry applications.
Developed to replace traditional clamped rubber hoses, Cooper Standard’s High Performance Vacuum Brake Tube simplifies engine and undercarriage routing. The elegant design uses a smaller diameter with a thinner wall, which allows a 35 percent space savings and a more than 50 percent weight reduction over current rubber hoses and clamps. This product also allows for rapid assembly and ease of maintenance through the use of quick connectors and eliminates the need for heat shields and brackets. Combined, the system provides a cost effective, next-generation tube innovation.
“The DSM Arnitel CM622 thermoplastic material provided us the perfect opportunity to deliver customers an innovative solution to meet critical mass reduction goals, while exceeding their expectations for high-performance vacuum brake applications,” said Chris Couch, vice president, innovation and product groups, Cooper Standard. “We’re thrilled to be honored by SPE for this team achievement.”
DSM’s Arnitel CM622 thermoplastic enables the Vacuum Brake Tubes to perform over a broad temperature range (-40 to 150C), possesses excellent under-hood chemical resistance, offer burst strengths exceeding 60 bar and deliver flexural force of greater than 50 Newtons. The Arnitel CM622 material was designed to maintain property retention after extended exposure to elevated temperatures. Further, the plastic lines and connectors are resistant to the corrosive effects of road salts.
Commenting on the award on behalf of DSM, Bill Senge, R&T director Americas, accentuated the importance of the partners’ collaboration from concept to market in this advanced application project, “What is most challenging in our business is to stay ahead of the innovation curve. We at DSM believe strong collaborations ensure that our developments cater for current and future market trends. This SPE award for Cooper Standard’s High Performance Vacuum Brake Tubes is also proof of what can be achieved when material specialists and application engineers join forces to drive automotive trends and speed the implementation of next-generation lightweighting designs.”
SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the automotive and plastics industries. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers and polymer producers submit nominations for innovative parts, systems and modules. Applications must be on a commercially available vehicle by Nov. 1 of the year in which a nomination is submitted.
