Continental Structural Plastics Earns Automotive News PACE Award

Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), a world leader in light weight composite technologies, announced it is the recipient of an Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers’ Contribution to Excellence) Award, one of the automotive industry’s most prestigious awards recognizing game-changing technologies.  CSP received the award for its TCA Ultra Lite composite material, which is currently in production on the 2016 Chevrolet Corvette.

The use of TCA Ultra Lite, a Class A body panel material, results in a 20 lb (9 kg) weight savings on the Stingray Coupe model.  This is the first production use of CSP’s Ultra Lite advanced composite. The mass savings afforded by TCA Ultra Lite is accomplished through the use of a CSP-patented technology that uses treated glass bubbles to replace some of the Calcium Carbonate filler, resulting in a lighter density material. On the C7, a total of 21 body panel assemblies, including doors, decklids, quarter panels and fenders, are molded from TCA Ultra Lite. 

When combined with CSP’s patented vacuum and bonding manufacturing processes, TCA Ultra Lite offers a premium Class A finish with paint and gloss qualities comparable to metals, including aluminum. The material is able to withstand the E-coat process, and passes all OEM paint tests. 

“When it comes to engineering a vehicle, every single pound saved is an accomplishment. In the case of the C7, we were able to shave 20 pounds off of the car, using a material so advanced, no one else can offer it,” said Steve Rooney, CEO of Continental Structural Plastics. “This prestigious award validates the uniqueness of our technology, and motivates us to continue innovating as we work toward introducing an even lighter Class A material to the market.”

The PACE Awards were presented during annual ceremony held Monday, April 3, 2017, at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit.  For more than 20 years, the Automotive News PACE Awards have honored superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance among automotive suppliers. This prestigious award is recognized around the world as the industry benchmark for innovation.

About Continental Structural Plastics

Continental Structural Plastics, a Teijin Group company, has provided leading-edge technologies in lightweight materials and composite solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, HVAC and construction industries for more than 40 years. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, CSP provides full-service engineering support, and holds more than 50 patents covering materials development and manufacturing processes in composite materials formulation, design and manufacturing technologies.  The company has operations on three continents and more than 3,200 employees. For more information, www.cspplastics.com

About the Teijin Group

Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 150 companies and around 19,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY790.7 billion (USD 7.4 billion) and total assets of JPY 823.4 billion (USD 7.7 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016.