SPE INNOVATION AWARD
deBotech Incorporated was awarded its 2nd SPE Innovation Award on November 9, 2016.
deBotech's 100% Carbon Fiber Composite Spoiler was named the winner in the aftermarket series. The 1-piece aftermarket epoxy/carbon fiber spoiler provides a premium carbon composite appearance and enables the same aerodynamic performance as production 3-piece spoilers with different aero variants while also reducing mass by 40%. The spoiler's unique design and proprietary tooling combines solid wickerbills and an open cavity blade plus intergral threaded inserts to facilitate manufacturing and assembly. The 1-piece construction offers a cleaner appearance due to reduction of fasteners. The spoiler is offered in both clearcoat with exposed weave and painted in carbon flash metallic paint.
deBotech has partnered with Solvay for their carbon fiber and composite materials for over a decade and Solvay was also a winner for this SPE Innovation Award.(Please see article which was published in the NetComposites.com\News).
Solvay ‘Materials Supplier for Aftermarket’ Category Winner at 46th SPE Automotive Innovation Awards
15 November 2016
Solvay is the materials supplier named on an SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition winner in the Aftermarket Category.
According to Solvay, the winning part is an aftermarket carbon fibre-composite spoiler for the Chevrolet Corvette produced by General Motors. It explains that this one-piece spoiler integrates seamlessly a spoiler blade and wicker bills combining full compression areas, open cavities and co-cured inserts. It is available painted or with an exposed weaved finish. It was manufactured by General Motors’ Tier 1, deBotech, using Solvay’s materials and is OEM approved.
deBotech, based in North Carolina, US, is a long standing customer of Solvay Composite Materials. Solvay says that both companies have worked together on a long list of automotive, motorsport and high performance sporting goods components. For this specific spoiler application, deBotech selected Solvay MTM 57 cosmetic carbon fibre epoxy composites. It describes this material as the ideal choice for applications where both structural performance and visual quality are required, saying the MTM 57 offers high toughness as well as excellent resin clarity for outstanding cosmetic results.
Solvay says that the spoiler won the award thanks to the remarkable benefits that part integration and the advanced materials selected offered:
40% weight saving when compared to a three-piece production spoiler.
Same aerodynamic performance.
Cleaner appearance due to the elimination of fasteners.
“We are proud to have been part of a team receiving an Innovation Award from SPE for the second time this year. It is the result of a long standing relationship between Solvay, deBotech and General Motors” said Gerald Perrin, Solvay Composite Materials Global Automotive Director. “This is a great example of our collaborative approach – where the OEM, its Tier 1 and Solvay as technology supplier come together to create a viable material and manufacturing solution.”
This award was presented to General Motors and members of the supply team at the 46th-annual SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Competition Gala, which took place on 9 November 2016 in Livonia (Detroit), Michigan, US. (http://netcomposites.com/news/2016/november/15/solvay-materials-supplier-for-aftermarket-category-winner-at-46th-spe-automotive-innovation-awards/)
CARBONHAN