Brush Grill Guard
Automotive Award
Molder: Composite Products, Inc.
Moldmaker: Delta Mold, Inc.
Designer: Algonquin Automotive
OEM: General Motors
Description
This part is a Brush Grille Guard for SUV's and Trucks in the Automotive Industry. The Brush Grille Guard provides protection to the vehicle front end and high-quality aesthetic enhancements through the combination of a Class-A textured automotive composite finish contrasted by a Class-A chrome tube that is molded-in directly to the part. The Brush Grille Guard attaches directly to the front end of the vehicle and is meant to be a permanent part of the vehicle throughout its intended life.
The mold was designed to allow for the molding-in of a large chrome tube that was as wide as a truck front- end. This is the first time this type/size of insert molding had been done in the industry.
Why is this Part Innovative?
This part is innovative because it is the first time in the automotive industry that a Brush Grille Guard has been manufactured using a single-piece chrome tube that is directly molded-in to the composite structure of the Guard. One traditional manufacturing method for this part is to cut, bend and weld an assortment of tubes, and then either paint or powder coat the entire assembly. The other traditional method is to cut, bend and either weld or mechanically fasten a tube assembly to a steel substructure, then to cover that substructure with a rubber bumper or a plastic beauty cover for appearance reasons. This part utilizes the strength of the composite made by the Direct In-Line Long-Fiber Reinforced (DLFT) process, as well as the aesthetic characteristics that the DLFT process and Transfer-Compression Molding can provide to make a single molding step part. Cycle times for this part are about two-minutes, compared to relative hours it can take to make a traditional Brush Grille Guard. The relative cost of the substrate to hold the chrome tube was over 50% less than that of the traditional methods.
The DLFT and molding processes allowed the designer to utilize the superior material properties so that the overall strength of the part could be optimized. Because this material flows so well, the design incorporates many underside ribs that were optimally placed to reduce the deflection of the part in normal operating use, along with elimination of vibration of the part during highway driving, adding to the comfort of the operator. This was important because the attachment points are at and underneath the front bumper, creating a large cantilevered load that requires very strong materials and design to overcome these challenges.
The material that was developed for this part was specially formulated to deliver the outstanding aesthetics that are required, as well as the strong material properties, and to a level of UV resistance that surpasses the industry standard by three times, meaning that color change over time is undetectable to the human eye. This formulation was tested multiple times throughout the program development in order to end up with the best material possible while meeting cost targets put forth by the customer.
The tooling is also unique in that it allows the use of a 1.5” chrome tube to be fully protected from scratches and mars in a mold that is made of hard P-20 steel. The tube has a dimensional tolerance of roughly 5 mm, while the tool has a tolerance of essentially zero. The coupling of this tube to the mold, allowing for good shutoff so that material does not come out of the mold at the tube locations, required some special detail at the shut-off areas and unique tube clamping tooling functions to overcome this challenge.
Process
Direct In-Line Long-Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (DLFT) Transfer-Compression Molding: The Direct In-Line Long-Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic (DLFT) Transfer-Compression Molding process was chosen in conjunction with the transfer-molding compression technology, to enable the design to achieve a Class-A, OEM styled, one-piece Brush Grille Guard that required minimal out-of-mold assembly. It also yielded good impact resistance and significant rigidity to allow for acceptable vibration without the need for additional expensive attachment hardware. Cost savings of up to 50% versus traditional Brush Grille Guard assemblies were achieved.
Design
Topology Optimization
Finite element analysis
Design was done using CAD
Tooling
Steel
Number of Cavities: 1
Molded in Texture: Yes
Material
Glass Filler *, Polypropylene
Finishing
Self-Texturing
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