Delphi's Plastic Case Radio Design Wins Society of Plastics Engineers Innovation Award
Delphi climate control named category winner and cable products named competition finalist
Release Date: November 13, 2009
TROY, Mich — Delphi Corporation's ultra light radio design with insert-molded electro magnetic compatibility (EMC) shielding, available on Chevrolet and GMC full size pick-ups and sport utility vehicles, won top recognition at the 39th Annual SPE® Automotive Innovation Awards ceremony, Thursday in Livonia, Michigan. The competition, conducted by the automotive division of the Society of Plastics Engineers International, honors the most innovative use of plastics in automotive applications.
Delphi was named Grand Award Winner for its ultra light radio technology which was also cited as the winner of the competition's Process/Assembly/Enabling Technologies category. Two other Delphi technologies were also recognized in the competition.
"Delphi continually innovates new products and processes to help make the world greener and to help our customers provide value," said Dr. Andrew Brown, Delphi chief technologist.
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| Delphi Ultra Light Radio
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Integrating 29 patented technologies, the ultra light radio's plastic case with an insert-molded mesh Faraday cage offers robust EMC shielding, up-integrated mechanical assembly features, and significant weight savings without requiring any structural modification to the vehicle. The innovative design and highly efficient assembly process reduces cycle time and eliminates 29 screws per radio — a weight savings of 22 percent or 1.2 pounds (0.54 kilograms).
"In today's environment, where vehicle weight reduction is targeted in an effort to improve fuel economy, removing more than a pound from the vehicle provides our customers an enormous advantage," said Brown. "Delphi is proud to be able to offer innovative, lower-cost technology that benefits vehicle manufacturers, consumers and the environment."
Delphi's plastic post-isolation for automotive HVAC blower motor on the Chevrolet Camaro was a grand prize finalist and category winner in the Body Interior category.
The application uses an integrally molded plastic mount instead of multiple rubber isolators that softens and quiets HVAC fan-motor vibrations. This results in significant cost and development time reductions for automakers plus a quieter vehicle interior for consumers. A resonant frequency "tuning" feature enables noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) optimization with minimum impact on mold tooling, even late in the vehicle development cycle. With this technology, automakers can purchase bare motors and a quick snap-fit joins the plastic mount to the motor, facilitating assembly and allowing more motors to be shipped per container.
Delphi's halogen-free ultra-thin-wall cable was named a finalist in the Environmental category. The highly durable automotive cable features significantly lighter and thinner insulation than traditional cable. It is a recyclable and environmentally friendly product free of dangerous halogens that offers outstanding abrasion resistance and pinch resistance nearly double that of traditional cable. Delphi produces more than 1.5 billion feet (474,000,000 meters) of halogen-free ultra-thin-wall cable per year to supply four major automakers.
About Delphi
Delphi is a leading global supplier of electronics and technologies for autos, commercial and other vehicles. Delphi Automotive has more than 100,000 employees at 270 locations and 24 engineering centers in 32 countries. More information regarding the company may be found at www.delphi.com.
Barbara Graves
barbara.a.graves@delphi.com
[1] 765.451.5238
