| Description |
|
100% PET Headliner |
| OEM, Model, Model Year |
|
General Motors, TrailBlazer & Bravada, 2002 |
| System Supplier, Contact, Phone |
|
Johnson Controls, Inc., Charlie Peterson, (616)394-8931 |
| Molder/Processor, Contact and Phone |
|
Johnson Controls, Inc., Charlie Peterson, (616)394-8931 |
| Toolmaker, Contact and Phone |
|
Johnson Controls, Inc., Forest Hills, (616)394-6499 |
| Material Supplier, Contact and Phone |
|
Kosa, Huckabee Simpson, (864)235-7496 |
| Generic resin type |
|
Polyester |
| Resin Trade Name |
|
proprietary |
| Grade |
|
proprietary |
| OEM Engineer, Title and Phone |
|
George Lambert, Staff Engineer, (810)986-7107 |
| Nominated by, Company |
|
Mike Millar, Johnson Controls |
| Address |
|
49200 Halyard Dr, Plymouth, MI 48170 |
| Phone |
|
(734)254-7625 |
| Fax |
|
(734)254-6689 |
| Email |
|
michael.j.millar@jci.com |
| Summary | | AcoustiCor 100 offers the best combination of performance and recyclability, and is the only headliner in the industry that uses 100% thermoplastic polyester for its substrate, adhesive bond, and cover cloth. The fiber based construction allows for superior acoustic properties; deep draws; sharp angles; thickness can range from 4mm to 15mm improving strength and acoustic performance, and supports woven and non-woven coverings. Weight Savings: None Cost Savings: N/A Cost Avoidance: Lower tooling and equipment costs, low scrap rates. Eliminates regulated waste and associated costs. |
| Most Innovative Feature | | AcoustiCor 100 offers the best combination of performance and recyclability, and is the only headliner in the industry that uses 100% thermoplastic polyester polymer for its substrate, adhesive bond, and cover cloth. This is the only headliner available with all polyester construction that contains no fiberglass, enabling recyclability. |
| Other Innovative Features | | The fiber based construction allows for superior acoustic properties; deep draws; sharp angles; thickness can range from 4mm to 15mm improving strength and acoustic performance, and supports woven and non-woven coverings. |
| Forming Process | | Thermoform compression molding. |
| First time process used? | | No. |
| Previous Process Used | | Typical headliners use fiberglass as a reinforcement. Thermoset resin systems are typically used as binders in other headliners which limit recyclability. |
| Tooling Innovations | | Proprietary techniques were developed to heat and cool a lofted mat of material within acceptable cycle times. This required innovative cooling features to be developed for the tooling package |
| New Material Developments | | Innovative development in polyester fiber bicomponent was required to meet all OEM performance specifications. Specific crystallinity requirements were developed in the fiber. |
| Weight Savings | | No weight savings at this time. |
| Direct Cost Savings | | One step processing saves on tooling and equipment costs vs. a traditional multi-step foam based headliner substrate. |
| Indirect Cost Savings | | Low scrap rates are obtained because of the material composition and one step processing. Eliminates regulated waste and associated costs. (permits, disposal, etc) |
| Direct Consumer Benefit | | Superior in-vehicle acoustics are achieved from the fiber based substrate. |
| Translates to other Vehicles? | | Yes, AcoustiCor 100 is in production on the Bravada and TrailBlazer and is currently being launched on two additional vehicle platforms. |
| Safety Benefits | | Because no fiberglass is required this results in improved safety during processing as well as during installation into the vehicle. No "dust out" of fiberglass particles in the finished vehicle. |
| Environmental Benefits | | Competitive products use harsh chemicals for binders like isocyanate or phenol formeldehyde whereas AcoustiCor 100 uses only environmentally responsible thermoplastics. The all polyester construction also enables easy recyclability and reuse of scrap material. |
| Additional Info | | End of life recyclability of vehicle and pending recycling requirements globally were taken into consideration during the development and launch of AcoustiCor 100 |