SOY-BASED SEATING FOAM SCORES A SIXTH AWARD
Say “soy foam” to some people and they might get a craving for a low-fat heart-healthy decaf cappuccino. If they make their morning “coffee run” in a 2008-or-later Ford Motor Company vehicle, there is an excellent chance they’ll be sitting on a type of soy-based foam already. That’s because Ford leads the industry in the use of this renewable bio-material, with the seat backs and cushions in eight of its vehicle platforms already containing soy foam.
Ford’s innovative use of environmentally friendly, soy-based foam has earned six prestigious awards to date, including the 2009 R&D 100 Award, R&D Magazine announced today. The award honors the latest technology developments across numerous industries that are designed to meet societal, scientific, or business challenges. Ford shares the honor with supplier Lear Corp.
Use of Soy Foam Expanding
Ford has a rich history in incorporating soy- based materials into its products. Ford was the first automaker in the world to demonstrate that soy-based polyols could be used at high percentage levels to make foam capable of meeting or exceeding automotive requirements. In 2004 Ford and Lear formed a partnership to commercialize soy-foam applications.
In August 2007 Ford introduced soy- foam seats on the 2008 Ford Mustang, and has since placed soy- foam seats in the Ford Expedition, F-150, Escape and Focus, as well as Mercury Mariner, Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln MKS and Mazda Tribute. By the end of the 2009 model year, more than 1 million Ford Motor Company vehicles will contain soy foam seats.
Ford continues to pursue new applications for soy foam including seats on additional Ford vehicle platforms in the near future, and soy-based padding in vehicle headliners. In addition, Ford scientists also are working on ways to use other parts of the versatile legume – such as soy flour and soy meal – in various automotive plastics for such parts as floor mats, door seals and underbody shields. The United Soybean Board sponsors some of the research for both soy foam and soy fillers in plastics.
Soy Supports Energy Independence
With soy foam in seats on one 1 million vehicles, Ford expects to decrease its use of petroleum oil by one 1 million pounds and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by five 5 million pounds annually. Use of soy foam in seats also delivers superior product performance, and supports American farmers.
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, soy-based products have only one-quarter of the level of total environmental impact of petroleum-based products. Most automakers today use 100 percent petroleum-based polyol foam. Each vehicle contains an average of 30 pounds of petroleum-based foam in its seat backs, seat cushions, armrests, instrument panels and headliners.
QUOTES
“We’re honored that our work to develop soy foam is being recognized outside of the automotive industry. R&D Magazine is placing Ford in the company of innovators who touch virtually every area of our lives – from computing and communications to medicine and microscopy. ”
– Cynthia Flanigan, Ph.D., Ford plastics technical expert
“As Ford continues to increase its use of soy-based foam seats across many vehicle platforms, we’re reducing our environmental footprint by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, decreasing dependence on oil and moving toward sustainability.”
– Jerry Brown, Ford seat systems chief engineer
“Lear Corporation is grateful to R&D Magazine for this recognition and validation that our commitment to environmental stewardship is on target and helps our customers exceed consumer expectations. We accepted the challenge to be the leader of automotive interiors environmental innovation years ago and continue our focus on having meaningful impact with fast-to-market solutions such as soy-based seating foam enabled by collaborative research efforts with suppliers and customers.”
– Ash Galbreath, Lear Corp. director of advanced material
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