BASF, FCA and Boge win SPE Automotive Innovation Award

BASF along with Boge Rubber & Plastics (Boge) and FCA were recognized at the 49^th Annual Society of Plastics Engineers^® (SPE) International Automotive Innovation Awards Gala in the Chassis/Hardware Group. SPE honored their innovative use of plastics in the development of the first composite rear differential mount used in serial production of the 2019 Jeep_® Cherokee.

The rear differential mount is located on the rear subframe of the engine and is used to maintain different pinion positions and resist torque loads. During a design refresh review, FCA wanted to see if this part could be optimized from the previous diecast aluminum solution.

“We had some challenges that required creative design and engineering,” said Brian Dwyer, Manager of Chassis and Powertrain Mounts at FCA. “The part needed to be lighter in weight, achieve durability targets and fit into the existing space to minimize production disruptions at the assembly plant.”

Boge working with BASF had the winning design. “It was an easy decision to partner with BASF on this as we’ve worked together before and knew their material and technical expertise would be important,” said Marco Rosendahl, Director Product Line Plastics, Boge. Jeff DeAlmeida, Vice President Transportation, BASF Performance Materials, North America, said:  “The material selection was a key factor in the success of the design. The ability to injection mold the Ultramid^® A3WG10CR allows for the creation of complex geometries not possible with the previous material. The use of our Ultrasim^® computer aided engineering tool also allowed us to accurately predict how the part would perform.”

SPE’s Automotive Innovation Awards program is the oldest and largest competition of its kind in the automotive and plastics industries. Dozens of teams made up of OEMs, tier suppliers and polymer producers submit nominations describing their part, system, or complete vehicle module and why it merits the claim as Year’s Most Innovative Use of Plastics.

_{Ultramid is a registered trademark of BASF SE.}

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 20,000 employees in North America and had sales of $19.7 billion in 2018. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.com.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the U.S. Further information at www.basf.com.