Lear's seven innovations take 25 lb out of automotive seat
New seating unveiled for 2011 by Lear makes weight savings through design and use of different materials Read
more...
SGL and BMW spend $100 million on carbon fibre in the US
The lightweight MegaCity vehicle is one of the beneficiaries from the investment in Washington State Read
more...
Chinese group FAW is first customer for CGI research system
First Auto Works aims to use the SinterCast system to develop CGI technology for engines across its range of cars, trucks and buses Read
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ZF halves weight of suspension strut for micro vehicles
Use of composites instead of steel plus redesigning components means it can cut weight dramatically in a study to be launched at the Frankfurt Auto Show Read
more...
Bigger
share for biological plastics on the
cards in 2009
Toyota wants what its terms "Ecological
Plastic" to account for 60 per
cent of interior items on cars where
it is used Read
more...
Henkel
and Dürr team up for new coating
process
The German pair are to develop Henkel's
Aquence autophoretic electro dip coating
process, starting with non-automotive
uses
Read more...
Nissan
Cube will have new low-precious-metal
catalyst
Car launching in November in Japan will
be first application for catalyst idea
that halves the amount of precious metal
needed Read
more...
Mazda
claims weight and recycle benefits for
foam plastics
New technique puts supercritical fluids
into resins to make recyclable lightweight
foamed plastics
Read more...
Visteon and 3M collaborate on flexible interiors
Switches that appear only when you want them and other flexible options are part of a project between the component company and the materials firm Read
more...
University's process may make hydrogen power more practical
US engineers at Purdue University in Indiana have developed an aluminium-rich alloy that produces hydrogen from water
Read more...
Toyota's seat fabric is suitable for allergy sufferers An agent on the fibres envelops the allergens formed from dead dust mites and their droppings (well, we never said it was all glamour in these pages)
Read more...
Lord seeks applications for magneto-rheological fluids Active engine mounts will reach the market within two years, and Europe is likely to be first with them
Read more...
Fluoroelastomer
ready for injection moulding
Dow Corning's latest 100% fluorinated
elastomer can withstand high temperatures
in places such as engine compartments
Read more...
Clutch
coatings improve anti-shudder durability
JTekt says its silicon-containing diamond-like
coatings improve durability eightfold
compared with nitriding Read
more...
Thin
clutch with sheet metal backing extends
life
ZF Sachs is trying a concept of a thin
clutch facing with a sheet metal backing
to give extra life Read
more...
One-step
moulding offers bright skins for cars
New one-stage
plastics moulding process likely to
find favour on upmarket vehicles, say
Bayer and Faurecia Read
more...
Mazda
claims first with biomaterials
The Japanese carmaker says it has a
world lead on plant-derived-only materials
for seating
Read more...
Plastic
oil pans hold the promise of fleet CO2
cuts
Efforts to reduce vehicle mass are leading
OEMs to introduce plastic oil pans
Read more...
Steel
body concept offers OEMs sense of scale
ScaLight, a lightweight body concept,
could reduce the weight of a vehicle
by up to 18 per cent and cut the cost
of the body by 10 per cent
Read more...
LEDs
light licence plates
Technology firm 3M has developed a lighting
source for licence plates that improves
packaging at the rear of the vehicle
Read more...
Under
pressure
Springback simulation may make aluminium
body panels easier to manufacture. But
can it be that simple? Of course not Read
more...
Radical
cockpit design eliminates the crosscar
beam
ThyssenKrupp and Johnson Controls have
come up with a mix of steel and plastics
that is 20 per cent lighter and doesn't
affect safety performance, they say Read
more...
Blow
moulding builds parts into plastics
fuel tank
Technique from Inergy means plastic
fuel tanks can be made with all the
metal bits already incorporated
Read more...
Honda
plastics supplier expands capacity
UK-based Birkby's Plastics spends €3
million to increase production and build
in traceability
Read more...
Filter
material can take out the nanoparticles
Mann & Hummel introduces a new nanofibre-based
material for filters intended to stop
fine particles entering the passenger
compartment of vehicles
Read more...
Soya
bean foams make seat makers more comfortable
Criticism of the recyclability and high
emissions of present foams is to be
deflected with a new range coming out
of natural materials
Read more...
Delphi
space welding ideas could have earthly
uses
Systems used on space vehicles could
be adapted for use in automotive body-in-white
facilities
Read more...
High
strength steel is suited to roll forming
SSAB Swedish Steel
says its new Docol Roll steel is suitable
for roll-forming, which is interesting
the automotive sector more and more
Read more...
Glass
to metal seals keep the contamination
out
Schott has come up with a new glass-to-metal
seal designed for the delicate sensibilities
of automotive componentry
Read more...
Recycled
resins added to GE environmental plastics
The name is "ecoimagination"
and the first two materials are being
evaluated for automotive purposes by
Denso
Read more...
Mixed
messages
All aluminium production cars seemed
at one stage to be a realistic aim.
But the growth for the lightweight metal
seems to be coming from multi alloy
blends and mixed materials.
Read more...
Breaking
the rules
Gordon Murray has joined former McLaren
colleages at Caparo Vehicle Technologies,
a company that is deliberately setting
out to challenge conventional thinking
in design and materials.
Read more...
Honda
develops seat fabrics from Corn
The fabrics, developed using corn-drived
compounds, are intended to offset CO2
emitted during car disposal. Read
more...
New
steels combine high strength with good
machinability
Corus 'Hitenspeed' steels offer elevated
yield strengths as-drawn together with
excellent machining properties for cost
effective manufacture of highly stressed
turned parts. Read
more...
Goodyear
puts carbon fibre into tyre walls
The tyre maker claims a first for passenger
car tyres Read
more...
New
fuel tank material helps meet environmental
challenges
Corus has announced that it has won
a contract to supply Proton with advanced
Neotec steel. Read
more...
HIP
replacement
A recent development from ArvinMeritor
engineering teams – some of
the best in the business, according
to Bob Marty, the genial American
who steers ArvinMeritor’s Light
Vehicle Systems (LVS) business group
from its headquarters in Sully-sur-Loire
in central France – is the Highly
Integrated Plastic (HIP) door module,
an alternative to the traditional
steel door carrier frame. Read
more...
Lotus
and Jacob pursue composite car innovation Lotus Engineering and Jacob
Composite have announced 'ECOLITE',
a collaborative investigation into
an innovative fibre-reinforced composite
material that is economically viable
for medium volume automotive production. Read
more...
A
new era in car design The co-operation of a leading
automotive equipment supplier and the
leading international polycarbonate
glazing specialist heralds a new era
in automotive design. Read
more...
Lightweight
leads to fuel savings According to Alcan Automotive,
the increased use of aluminium is now
a significant part of every carmaker’s
lightweight design strategy. Read
more...
Discovering
the benefits of hydroforming Land Rover’s Discovery
3 features an all-new Integrated Body
Frame. Read
more...
Setting
new standards The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class
is setting new standards in terms of
environmental protection, says DC. Read
more...
Crashworthy
battery holder for hybrid cars Read
more...
