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| At the annual SPE thermoforming conference,
held in Nashville, Tennessee, in September, 2002, the parts competition award
for best automotive part was won by Thermoform SA of Bogota, Columbia. The
winning part is a front facia for two models of Renault automobiles assembled
in columbia for distribution in the ANDEAN trading zone. Because the production
quantities were projected at only 7000 units per year, injection molding was
ruled out. |
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| When approached by Renault about thermoforming them, Jose Pena,
managing director of Thermoform SA, a long time consulting client of McConnell
Co.,Inc, contacted Arthur Buckel. Buckel, an associate consultant at McConnell
Co., created a unique forming method, sketched out the mold design, specified
the TPO material, and had the mold quoted.
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| Pena presented the options to Renault, who awarded a prototype
development contract to Thermoform SA. In the very modern factory that
Thermoform SA operates outside Bogota, Buckel and the Thermoform SA engineering
staff built a prototype mold, and proofed the design and forming method. |
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Jose Pena and Art Buckel at the
Awards Ceremony
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| When Renault accepted the results, and placed the order for the
production mold and parts, Buckel finalized the mold design, and he and Pena
placed the mold order with Borke Mold Specialists, of Hamilton, Ohio. The TPO
material is supplied by Washington Penn Resins, and Solvay Plastics, and
extruded in Columbia. |
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The part assembled on the
automobile |
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The difficulties of thermoforming the part is
the extreme height of the center, and the severe sloping toward each end where
there are very deep undercuts. The mold is a temperature controlled, aluminum
casting,with both ends sliding up bronze plates to release the undercut
sections at each end. Bronze guides keep the ends in alignment. Electric driven
cams lock the
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| ends during the forming time. The mold end sections are also cast
aluminum with cooling tubes, and weigh 32 lbs each. To prevent resistance to
lifting during the part dismount, and to prevent the ends slamming down after
release, each end is connected with a steel cable, over a grooved pulley, to a
counterweight contained inside a tube, within the body of the main mold
section. This design reduces each end to a lifting, and slow falling weight of
only 4 lbs.
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| The photos show the parts assembled on the
automobiles, the mold details, and Jose Pena and Arthur Buckel with the award
at the conference. |
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| We believe this is the first time a major world automobile
manufacturer has used a thermoformed facia on their new cars.
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The acceptance of these parts has caused Renault to order tooling
and parts for two additional models, and General Motors of the ANDEAN zone to
order tooling and parts for one of their own automobiles. A sure triumph for
thermoforming. |
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| Art Buckel |
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| About
the Author: |
| Art is an Associate of McConnell Co. Inc, which is a consulting company that is based in Fort Worth, Texas. |
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| About
McConnell Co., Inc.: |
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The company was founded by Wm. K. "Bill" McConnell, Jr., and now consists of
three associates, Arthur Buckle, Robert Browning and Donald Hylton, who has
just joined and is a very well known chemist and polymer scientist.
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