Performance Polymers
Injection molding like never before: A sustainable thermoplastic truck bed for the Toyota Tacoma™
Collaboration in engineering expertise proves to be a key driver of success once again: BASF, Toyota and Vuteq have pushed the boundaries of injection molding and won the 2026 SPE Automotive Innovation Grand Award for the Toyota Tacoma™ truck bed.
Innovation doesn’t always have to be disruptive to make an impact. BASF, Toyota and Vuteq demonstrate how rethinking and advancing established processes, technologies and products can lead to remarkable results. Together, they received the 2026 Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Innovation Grand Award, recognizing the most innovative product across all competition categories, as well as the award in the Body Exterior category.
What makes the Toyota Tacoma™ truck bed special?
The Toyota Tacoma™ truck bed takes a different approach from previous designs. Instead of a painted thermoset sheet molding compound (SMC) solution, it uses a seamless injection molded thermoplastic design based on polyamide 6 (PA6).
Bringing this concept to life required the team to overcome three major engineering challenges:
- Manufacturing at an unprecedented scale
- Developing a material that overcomes traditional performance trade-offs
- Meeting sustainable design goals.
1. Manufacturing at an unprecedented scale
Injection molding has been around since the 1870s, but never at this scale. ENGEL developed its duo 12000 US platform, providing 110,000 kN, or 12,000 US tons, of clamping force. The system uses dual injection units, a mold weighing approximately 125 tons and a shot size of around 30 kg, making it the world’s largest injection molding machine ever built.
“At BASF, we are more than a material supplier. Through close collaboration with our customers and their customers, we continue to push the boundaries of innovation.”
Collaboration among Toyota, Vuteq Corp., BASF, Cascade Engineering, Haidlmair and ENGEL brought the award-winning truck bed to life. The results set a new benchmark not only for large-scale structural thermoplastic applications, but but also for what can be achieved when material, engineering and manufacturing expertise come together.
Read more about how the Toyota Tacoma™ truck bed was brought to life here
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