May 31, 2016 Updated 5/31/2016
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Les Produits Plastitel Inc. Thermoformed “pods” used in Stryker Corp.’s Isolibrium patient bed won the Grand Prize at the Plastics for Life competition.
Indianapolis — Hospital beds that improve the function of vital organs, reduce bed sores and improve circulation were the big winner in the Society of Plastics Engineers annual Plastics for Life competition.
More specifically, the Grand Prize winning part was a thermoformed pod made of thermoplastic polyurethane used as the support surface of the Isolibrium patient bed from Stryker Corp.
The pods, made by custom thermoformer Les Produits Plastitel Inc. of Laval, Quebec, are the main support surface of the bed. The parts facilitate patient mobility and ensure regular movement.
The company said the major challenges in forming the part were ensuring a minimum thickness on every individual pod and accurately measuring them.
The Plastics for Life competition was held at Antec 2016 in Indianapolis. A panel of judges selected the winners from among a wide range of parts that had already won in competitions at previous SPE events during the past year. The pods had won a gold award for heavy-gauge vacuum forming, and tied for the People’s Choice award at the parts competition at last year’s SPE Thermoforming Conference.
In Plastics for Life, though, the criteria are different. For example, some of the criteria for “sustaining life” include environmental, conservation, sustainability, recycling and source reduction, according to SPE CEO Wim De Vos.
More than 30 judges, including plastics trade press editors, evaluated the entries. With plastics sometimes under fire with issues like product bans, these awards are aimed at putting a spotlight on how plastics protect or improve the quality of life for consumers, said former SPE President Jon Ratzlaff.
Don Loepp Voting at the Plastics For Life competition at the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Antec conference.
This is the third year of the global Plastics for Life competition. In addition to the category winners, there also is a People’s Choice award for the part that receives the greatest number of votes from Antec attendees.
The winners included:
Sustaining Life: Delphi Automotive plc won for the heated fuel tip injector on the 2015 Honda Fit and Honda City. The system uses high-temperature nylon from DuPont and tooling from Coltelleria Baldi. An electrical heater within the injector is energized by the vehicle controller, rapidly heating the ethanol fuel and thereby dramatically improving vaporization and reducing emissions. By making possible reduced fueling during engine warm-up, these injectors also offer reduced emissions on ethanol and gasoline applications. Total hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions were reduced by 40 to 70 percent.
Protecting Life: Tier 1 auto supplier Promo Group won for a mixed-material floor rocker reinforcement used on the 2015 Jeep Renegade. The honeycomb reinforcement was designed for high-energy, high-speed side impact crashes. The part reduces the component weight by 45 percent vs. steel, or 1 kilogram per vehicle.
Quality of Life: Sonoco Products Co. won for an extrusion blow molded dual-dispensing bottle made for VariBlend Dual Dispensing Systems of Greenville, S.C. A dispenser sits atop a two-compartment bottle. The design locks securely to ensure the package will travel without leaking and the product will maintain its integrity. The part was submitted by its toolmaker, FGH Systems Inc.
Don Loepp Productive Plastics Inc. won the Improving Life award for its cover for an MRI machine.
Improving Life: Custom thermoformer Productive Plastics Inc. won for its cover for an MRI machine. The pressure formed ABS/PVC parts use cast and machined molds to ensure no shrink tolerance and CNC linear tolerances for molded-in dimensions. All parts use pushers to pre-stretch materials. The Kydex T parts include undercuts and are formed in mating parts to better line up for fit.
People’s Choice: SureCan Inc. won for its 2.2 and 5 gallon blow molded gasoline cans. The design of the cans make it possible to direct how and where fuel is dispensed, with a rotating nozzle, thumb trigger, and hand support grips at the bottom. A thumb safety trigger seals the vent on top of the can. The vent does not open or release any air unless the safety trigger is pulled straight back and then depressed with the main thumb button.
