Two Innovative Body Panel & Glazing Applications from GE Plastics

GE Plastics has been honored with two automotive innovation awards from the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Central Europe. The OPEL Zafira Panoramic Roof, featuring GE's Lexan* SLX polycarbonate (PC) film for paint replacement, won first prize in the Body Exteriors category, while the Honda Civic Extra Window with integrated spoiler, made with GE's Lexan GLX resin, placed third in the same category. The OPEL Zafira is available in Europe and parts of Asia, while the Honda Civic is sold in Europe only. Both applications attest to the innovation and value of GE materials, which enable such advantages as improved aesthetics and performance, design flexibility, part consolidation, and elimination of secondary painting operations in automotive applications. The awards were announced on July 14 in Düsseldorf, Germany. "These prestigious awards demonstrate the technological leadership of GE Plastics in European, repeatedly pushing the envelope of innovation in glazing and paint replacement applications," said Derek Buckmaster, global market director, Body Panels & Glazing for GE Plastics' Automotive business. "With their dramatic designs combined with practicality, the Zafira roof and Honda window are perfect examples of the value GE's Lexan resins deliver to the auto industry." The 2005 OPEL Zafira van's panoramic roof is its signature feature. The roof module is designed with large, inset glass windows, integrated storage compartments, and electro-mechanical sun curtains. Surfaced in GE's high-gloss Lexan SLX film infused with rich color, the roof offers consumers sleek elegance and a light-filled interior, coupled with functionality and high performance. The module, which is developed and manufactured by Webasto AG, is back-molded using a polyurethane LFI substrate and pre-formed Lexan SLX film. The benefits of GE's Lexan SLX film used in automotive applications range from potential paint replacement resulting in a reduction of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, to lighter vehicles that can produce greater fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gases. Other key advantages can include cost savings to both manufacturers and consumers through the use of these new, innovative technologies designed to produce lighter and glossier automobiles. The Extra Window on the 2006 Honda Civic is a highly complex part that required aerodynamics, visibility, and styling. The glazing component is injection-molded by Freeglass using GE's Lexan GLX resin, which helped to enable part consolidation (spoiler integration) and improve rear visibility. GE's Lexan GLX resin provides high impact strength, UV protection, and light weight that are especially valuable in automotive glazing applications. (Press Release)