SPE announces Plastics for Life Global Parts Competition winners

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has announced the winners of the 4th annual Plastics for Life Global Parts Competition.

The competition was from among a wide range of parts that had already won in competitions at previous SPE events during the past year. In addition, a People’s Choice award was presented to the part that received the greatest number of votes from Antec attendees.

As selected by a panel of judges, the award categories and winners are:

GRAND PRIZE: FGH Systems-1000 ml PleurX drainage bottle. The part automatically helps patients safely and efficiently drain fluid build-up from recurrent pleural effusions and malignant ascites at home in only 5 to 15 minutes without the need for gravity. Competition Winner: 4th Annual SPE Blow Molding Division Parts Competition, Pharmaceutical Category 1st Place, Packaging Division 2nd Place.

FGH Systems-1000 ml PleurX drainage bottle.

SUSTAINING LIFE: General Motors-2016 Chevy Equinox & GMC Sierra engine cover insulator. Under a General Motors developed resource conservation and job creation program called “Do Your Part”, 1.2 million water bottles from General Motors’ Michigan facilities as well as 2 million bottles generated by the Flint Michigan contaminated water crisis were recycled through a complex supply chain. The recycled PET was processed into fleece used in the 2016 GM Equinox Terrain V-6 engine covers. Other uses of this material include air filters for GM plants and insulation in coats that double as sleeping bags for the homeless manufactured by formerly homeless people as part of a jobs training program. Competition Winner: SPE Automotive Division Innovative Awards Gala – Environmental Category Winner.

General Motors-2016 Chevy Equinox & GMC Sierra engine cover insulator.

PROTECTING LIFE: Profile Plastic Inc.’s surgical system cover set – front cover assembly & top cover. A pressure-formed housing for a surgical waste management system used in hospital operating rooms. Manufactured using negative tools, resulting in high cosmetic appearance with many molded in features to reduce assembly time. The front cover has seven vacuum-formed and three pressure-formed parts, with a total of seven pneumatic slides. The top cover has five pneumatic slides. All tools are machined aluminum and temperature controlled. Both molds have in-mold, acid-etched texture. The top and front covers are formed from Kydex-T acrylic/PVC sheet. The clear windows are polycarbonate. Competition Winner: SPE Thermoforming Conference – Heavy Gauge Pressure Formed-Gold, People’s Choice Award.

Profile Plastic Inc.’s surgical system cover set – front cover assembly & top cover.

QUALITY OF LIFE: Plastic Technologies Inc./Yumix LLC’s clasper bottle. A combination of two PET containers and a shrink label, the bottom holds 50 ml of premium alcohol and features a heat-applied aluminum-foil seal. The main bottle holds 6.5 ounces of hot-filled, shelf-stable juice and is topped by a 38-mm polypropylene closure. To use, the consumer simply separates the shrink sleeve at the seam between the top and bottom containers, via a perforation, unsnaps the bottom container from the base of the primary bottle, removes the heat seal and closure from the bottom and top components respectively, and pours the alcohol into the juice. Competition Winner: 4th Annual SPE Blow Molding Division Parts Competition, Beverage Category 1st Place, Packaging Division 2nd Place.

Plastic Technologies Inc./Yumix LLC’s clasper bottle.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE & IMPROVING LIFE: John Deere’s backhoe HVAC under floor duct. Manufactured in two pieces utilizing the JD VBM process with a foam additive, the two parts are IR welded to complete a one-piece air distribution system located below the cab of the John Deere Backhoe cab. The foam additive is utilized to create a large bubble structure, creating an insulation barrier from the cooled air. Production of this part resulted in both cost and inventory reduction. Competition Winner: 4th Annual SPE Blow Molding Division Parts Competition, Industrial Division 1st Place, Industrial Auto/Trans Category 1st Place.

John Deere’s backhoe HVAC under floor duct.

The awards were announced at SPE’s Antec 2017 plastics technical conference in Anaheim, Calif., which was held in mid-May.