Weight and cost saving automotive component wins Horners Award

A thermoplastic bulkhead for vehicles has won the annual Horners Award for Plastics Design and Innovation.

The car component, designed by Mark Grix of RLE International, represents a weight saving of 34 per cent and a cost saving of 10 percent, compared to the existing metallic bulkhead typically found in vehicles.

The judges praised the lightweight – and therefore fuel saving – advantage, as well as its recyclability. It can also be moulded in one go with aesthetic surface treatments moulded in. 

The material will see its first commercial application next year, and a grade of this material suitable for use as the painted exterior panels of a vehicle is also under development.

David Williams, Chairman of the Worshipful Company of Horners Awards Committee, said: “We are delighted by the range and quality of the entries we received this year – which just goes to show that the plastics industry is still, as it has always been, very much at the forefront of innovation.

“The winner, RLE International, for their low-mass, cost-saving bulkhead, demonstrate how crucial plastics are in providing innovations that help us lower environmental impacts.”

Other finalists in the running included Corby-based packaging designer and manufacturer, Amaray, which, despite not winningthe main award, received the British Plastics Federation award for its Corretto Cup: a recyclable, reusable and insulated cup designed to replace paper cups which cannot be recycled.

It features EcoCore foamcore walls that retain the heat of the drink whilst preventing burning for the user.

Three further entries were highly commended: the ‘UniSafe’ by Owen Mumford, an easy to use springless safety-device for pre-filled syringes, designed to reduce risks of traditional safety syringes; the ‘WingLights Pop’ by CYCL, which are lightweight and waterproof turn signals that make cyclists more visible to motorists; and finally the ‘APIS Beehive’, designed and developed by De Montfort University graduate, Olivia Alexander. Her compact beehive is made from recyclable plastic, cork, wood and rope, designed for use in garden spaces.

The Award is believed to be the longest running plastic design award in the world, and is jointly run by the Worshipful Company of Horners and the British Plastics Federation. Entries for next year’s award can be made on the BPF website.