Sticking to the Target
VW Polo Front-end Carrier

The new Polo features an adhesive-bonded hybrid front end in polypropylene. It is lighter and, of course, more cost-effective than the previous model. We wanted to find out who and what was behind it and so we sat round a table for discussions with Volkswagen, Dow Automotive and Simoldes. ....read more!

Four functions in one plastic component
HBPO develops system to protect pedestrians from being run over

With SFuse (Several Function Stiffener), HBPO has developed a system to protect pedestrians from being run over. The plastic component also serves as a second load path for the absorption of impact energy in the lower area of the vehicle front-end. With SFuse, the requirements of Directive 2003/102/EC in relation to Phase 2 (from 2010) lower leg impact can be met without any problems. ....read more!

Laser perforation aids passenger safety
Instrument panel of the DaimlerChrysler A-Class with integrated passenger airbag

While developing the instrument panel for DaimlerChrysler’s new A-Class, the design engineers were faced with the tasks of integrating the passenger airbag unobtrusively into the component, giving the instrument panel a soft, grip-friendly surface feel, and to comply with the high emissions requirements set by the DaimlerChrysler specification. It is partly to the credit of the polyurethane (PUR) foam that connects the armature holder with the decorative skin, that all these requirements are fulfilled. ....read more!

Fire Protection
New ignition test increases safety

With increasing electronic equipment in the vehicles the risk of fire has increased in the last years. A number of manufacturers have focussed these concerns on the latest generation of vehicles due to flammability safety concerns. The use of flame retardant materials is already state of the art in some vehicles. ....read more!

Made in Saxony
VW opts for supplier from Saxony in connection with the production of the new Passat

At the Volkswagen Mosel production plant manufacturing of the new Passat, which has now been on the road since March of this year, is being stepped up. They have reached around one third of a capacity potential of 1050 vehicles per day and this, according to the management spokesman for VW Saxony, Michael Oeljeklaus, puts them ahead of schedule. Volkswagens have been manufactured at the Mosel site (near Zwickau/Germany) since 1990. All the classic production areas such as bodywork construction, painting and final assembly of the vehicles have been gradually built up and put into production at the site. Volkswagen Sachsen AG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, today has two sites, the vehicle manufacturing plant in Mosel and engine production in Chemnitz. This region is also of interest to suppliers from the plastics sector. ....read more!

The Automated Factory
Auxiliaries connect to the Internet

It may never be possible in a plastics molding plant to turn the lights off in the evening and let the machines run all by themselves. Too many individual components need to work perfectly and catastrophic failures such as broken hoses will need manual intervention. However, it is imaginable that a small number of operators spend their night-time in a control room supervising plant operation with the help of sophisticated monitoring equipment. Wittmann Kunststoffgeräte GmbH have introduced a new approach to just this task that will greatly improve efforts in this field. ....read more!

PA6 or PA66, that is the question
Criteria for selecting materials for air intake module

PA6 and PA66 are very closely related as polymer materials and therefore exhibit a number of common features which mark them out as outstanding materials for applications inside the engine compartment. Nevertheless, where there are similarities there are always differences to balance them out and this, depending on the requirement, represents the crucial factor when it comes to deciding whether to go for a material on a PA6 or PA66 base. ....read more!

Clean Joint
Laser-welded fluid tanks for motor vehicles

On fluid circuits in modern motor vehicles, such as, for example, the steering system, it is essential to adhere to the strict cleanliness specifications. Seeber Röchling Automotive, Mannheim/Germany, are for the first time using laser welding in series production in order to keep pollution in the system as low as possible. Laser welding is also of interest commercially due to shorter processing times. ....read more!

For every situation
Removable or permanent fastening, or a combination of the two

Removable fastenings are usually formed by screw and nut elements, while welding, adhesives and rivets are more generally used to form permanent fastenings. Each system has its own advantages and disadvantages. That is why Arnold Umformtechnik, Forchtenberg-Ensbach in Germany has developed - in the Arnold-Tripress (ATP) - a fastener that can be used for permanent and removable fastenings, or a combination of the two. ....read more!

Unusual Panoramic Roof on the New Opel Zafira
Wide View Window

One of the current distinctive trends in relation to automotive construction is for sophisticated designs in vehicle roofs, presenting individual design characteristics and offering attractive additional benefits. From the core idea, which was to create a symbiotic relationship based on a feeling of maximum space and additional storage capacity, comes the optional panoramic roof which Opel is presenting as a completely new solution for the car roof in the new Zafira. Generously proportioned storage areas are integrated in the tunnel between the panels. ....read more!

IMG Laminating or ThermoGrain?
Process Comparison

The manufacture of dashboard top sections from natural fibre/PP carriers and TPO/PO foam, produced by the One-Shot process, offers advantages over classic procedures such as PUR foaming processes. In addition, there are some differences between IMG laminating and the ThermoGrain process which has been developed by R+S Technik of Offenbach/Germany. ....read more!

IAA 2005: Focus on Frankfurt

In just a few weeks Frankfurt will be opening its doors to the 61st International Automotive Exhibition (IAA). Even now, the entire sector is once again focusing on the most significant motor vehicle fair in the world which, every two years, never fails to come up with a multitude of innovations and new products. For visitors with an interest in plastics, more than 500 exhibitors are expected and numerous innovations will be on show between 15th and 25th September. ....read more!

Read more about several products for the automotive industry
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