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Vehicle Design Highlights

 

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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Mazda claims weight and recycle benefits for foam plastics
New technique puts supercritical fluids into resins to make recyclable lightweight foamed plastics
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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Fluoroelastomer ready for injection moulding
Dow Corning's latest 100% fluorinated elastomer can withstand high temperatures in places such as engine compartments
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Clutch coatings improve anti-shudder durability
JTekt says its silicon-containing diamond-like coatings improve durability eightfold compared with nitriding
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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
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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
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Mazda claims first with biomaterials
The Japanese carmaker says it has a world lead on plant-derived-only materials for seating
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Plastic oil pans hold the promise of fleet CO2 cuts
Efforts to reduce vehicle mass are leading OEMs to introduce plastic oil pans

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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

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LEDs light licence plates
Technology firm 3M has developed a lighting source for licence plates that improves packaging at the rear of the vehicle

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Under pressure
Springback simulation may make aluminium body panels easier to manufacture. But can it be that simple? Of course not
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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
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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
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Honda plastics supplier expands capacity
UK-based Birkby's Plastics spends €3 million to increase production and build in traceability
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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
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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
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Delphi space welding ideas could have earthly uses
Systems used on space vehicles could be adapted for use in automotive body-in-white facilities
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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
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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
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Recycled resins added to GE environmental plastics
The name is "ecoimagination" and the first two materials are being evaluated for automotive purposes by Denso
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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.
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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.
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Honda develops seat fabrics from Corn
The fabrics, developed using corn-drived compounds, are intended to offset CO2 emitted during car disposal.
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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.
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Goodyear puts carbon fibre into tyre walls
The tyre maker claims a first for passenger car tyres
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New fuel tank material helps meet environmental challenges
Corus has announced that it has won a contract to supply Proton with advanced Neotec steel.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Discovering the benefits of hydroforming
Land Rover’s Discovery 3 features an all-new Integrated Body Frame.
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Setting new standards
The new Mercedes-Benz A-Class is setting new standards in terms of environmental protection, says DC.
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Crashworthy battery holder for hybrid cars
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Zeotherm TPVs displace heat shields
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Taking a shine to Mercedes
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Absorbers open up new applications
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Manufacturing benefits secures contract
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Elastomer key to fuel-tank connector
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UV-cured coating reduces overheads
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Materials suppliers join forces
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Russian scrubbers
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Lightweight material slims Hummer
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Claiming number one title
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Ford invests in MCP's nylon casting
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Focusing on the driver architecture
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