AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - Three major industry award competitions – SPE Automotive Innovation Awards, SPE Thermoforming Awards and SEMA - have recently awarded the top prize to a part, or a vehicle containing parts, made with AkzoNobel's Soliant Fluorex® bright film.

Retro USA’s chrome-film thermoformed bumpers for the Limited Edition Mustang sports car grabbed the prize in the Performance and Customization category at the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Innovation Competition and Gala held November 9 in Livonia, MI. The bumper, which is made with AkzoNobel's alternative to chrome plating, Soliant Fluorex bright film, is the longest and thinnest chrome-film thermoformed TPO part to date. The part has a lustrous chrome surface, but offers the additional benefits of being lighter, more environmentally friendly and less costly than a traditional chrome-plated bumper.

The same part won the Heavy-Gauge-Vacuum-Forming category at the parts competition organized by the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Thermoforming division, which took place on September 19 in Milwaukee, WI. In this case, the award went to the molder of the part, Brentwood Industries, Reading, PA. The chrome-film bumpers, which are attached to the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Dodge Charger with two-sided 3M™ tape, utilize Soliant Fluorex bright film, to achieve a customized chrome look without the fuss and expense of dip-chroming. The chrome film is laminated to a 0.060 inch-thick TPO substrate using a molding process that maximizes chrome aesthetic consistency.

The chrome-film thermoformed bumpers also played a role in helping the Chevrolet Camaro secure SEMA’s Most Accessory-Friendly Car award at the trade group’s convention in Las Vegas, held in November 2010. Retro USA is the retro restyler for the Camaro.