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FreightCar America Inc. recently contracted Molded Materials Inc. (MMI) to convert a metal rail-car component to a plastic part. MMI developed a plastic longitudinal hood collar, which attaches to an aluminum coal car’s center sill and floor.

The company designed two collar models to accommodate the ways the parts are installed along the longitudinal beam at each cross beam junction. MMI also designed the collars to attach to a car at the correct angle of the cross beams’ mounting surfaces.

“Substituting an injection-molded plastic part for the aluminum-machined part is more complicated than it may seem as each brings different characteristics to the equation,” said MMI Vice President of Operations Tom Elkington in a prepared statement.