“At this time, the incident appears to be a tragic accident,” said the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department in a statement released following the accident. “The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been contacted.”

A man was crushed to death in a tragic industrial accident when a manufacturing mold weighing upwards of 25,000 pounds fell on top of him while he was at work.

Santoprene TPV already provides an easier-to-recycle alternative to thermoset rubber for many automotive applications. The new Santoprene TPV ECO-R provides quality comparable to standard Santoprene TPV grades but with the added benefit of post-consumer recyclate (PCR). Currently available are two grades with a minimum of 15% or 25 % PCR, respectively. Celanese estimates these materials can reduce carbon emissions by up to 59%, compared to a similar component made with EPDM synthetic rubber.

Vehicles have different types of boots and bellows, each with their own critical technical requirements, and Celanese develops formulations specific to each application. Many OEMs select Santoprene TPV and Hytrel TPC for boots and bellows when they switch from thermoset rubber, which cannot be easily recycled.

In addition to these materials, Celanese is also introducing Hytrel TPC HTR8745LV, developed specifically for injection molding of compact boots mounted on the rear half-shaft drivetrain of vehicles. Injection molding opens more design options for these parts and enables lightweighting and optimized productivity with multicavity tools.

“With Hytrel TPC and Santoprene TPV, Celanese already is the leader in developing thermoplastic elastomer solutions for boots and bellows,” said Frank Reuter, automotive marketing director. “Our new, more sustainable formulations of these materials enable OEMs and their Tier suppliers to pursue even more challenging sustainability goals.”

Polymer scientists at Celanese developed a formulation that combines the melt flow (LV = low viscosity) required for injection molding with the flex fatigue required by the application. Other grades for CVJ (constant velocity joint) and diaphragm boots require high viscosity to meet the applications’ requirement for flex fatigue resistance. High-viscosity materials process well with press blow molding, the normal process for manufacturing these applications, but would hinder injection molding throughput.

Celanese has expanded its portfolio of materials for automotive boots and bellows. New solutions include multiple sustainable materials and a new grade suitable for injection molding these parts.

For decades, OEMs have relied on Santoprene TPV and Hytrel TPC for dependable, durable automotive boots and bellows. The new versions of each material meet the mechanical and performance challenges of these applications and enable OEMs to pursue a more sustainable automotive future.

The incident occurred on Nov. 10 at approximately 9:55 a.m.at Romeo RIM in Bruce Township, Michigan, when the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office received a report that an employee had been injured by a piece of equipment at the plant, the Sherriff's Office said in a statement.

“With these material developments and the continued investment in tools and equipment, we are able to help our customers find solutions to two of their greatest challenges — developing more sustainable mobility and reducing the time and cost to develop new products;” said Laurent Lefebvre, automotive marketing manager. “The response from OEMs and Tier suppliers has been very positive, and parts manufactured from these new Celanese materials are nearing market launch on new electrified vehicles.”

Hytrel TPC ECO-B is produced using a biomass balance approach certified by the ISCC+ (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) standard. The plastic value chain is increasingly adopting this approach because it is cost-efficient and benefits the environment. Hytrel TPC ECO-B uses second-generation biomass (bio residue/waste) that does not compete with food/feed resources and does not induce land use change. The ISCC+ certification helps ensure upstream supply chain traceability. It contributes to the implementation of environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production in global supply chains, enabling the shift to a more circular economy.

When police arrived along with the Bruce Township Fire Department, they discovered Romeo Rim employee David Spano, 42, deceased after a 12-and-a-half ton manufacturing mold had fallen on top of him off of one of the interior plant walls.

Stephen has been with PlasticsToday and its preceding publications Modern Plastics and Injection Molding since 1992, throughout this time based in the Asia Pacific region, including stints in Japan, Australia, and his current location Singapore. His current beat focuses on automotive. Stephen is an avid folding bicycle rider, often taking his bike on overseas business trips, and a proud dachshund owner.

According to their website, Romeo RIM manufactures large product parts for the transportation market, heavy trucks, agriculture, construction and rail cars using custom injection molding and other processes.

The Macomb Daily said that earlier this year Romeo RIM reported that it had zero safety violations for a full year and that it was the second one-year milestone free of safety violations in less than three years.

Hytrel TPC LCF thermoplastic elastomer delivers the thermo-mechanical performance, flex fatigue, and processing ease of Hytrel TPC, but reduces a part’s carbon footprint by more than 50% compared to traditional CR neoprene rubber and up to 40% compared with other TPC materials. It also offers a broad service temperature range from -40° to 130°C and features a 40 Shore D hardness.