Invitation to new dimensions
Kautex’ Open House at the new Technikum

The re-opening of the modernized and expanded “Technikum” at the Bonn-Holzlar site, Germany, provided Kautex Maschinenbau GmbH with an opportunity to invite to its Open House 2006. On September 21, the company opened its doors to welcome around 250 professionals from 25 countries. ....read more!

New European headquarters
Lustran Polymers plant inauguration in Spain

The Styrenic Resins business of Lanxess, previously located in Dormagen, Germany, was moved to a new location in Tarragona, Spain, in the summer of 2006. As well as a new manufacturing site the business has a new name - Lustran Polymers - and a new dynamic approach to the market. ....read more!

Vegetable Oil for SMC
Duroplastic resin matrix on a vegetable oil base

The former Lonza Compounds, now Polynt GmbH & Co. KG of Miehlen, Germany, has, in conjunction with Bio-Composites And More GmbH from Ipsheim, Germany (B.A.M.), developed a material with a duroplastic resin matrix based on vegetable oil which is being marketed under the name of Bio-Dur. It can be manufactured and processed using the SMC process and its main characteristic is that it features extremely low emissions. ....read more!

Bigger but lighter
Rehau supplies bumper for Audi TT

The polymer processor Rehau, Germany, manufactures and paints everything for the front and rear bumpers in all variants for the next Audi TT generation. With a length of 4.18m and a width of 1.84m, the second generation of the Audi TT sports car will be larger, but lighter, as the Audi Space Frame bodywork is based on an aluminium ratio increased by up to 70 percent by weight. In addition, polymer bumpers at the front and rear contribute to the reduction in the overall weight. ....read more!

Toyota Yaris
Vehicle of the month

The purpose of this section which we feature in every issue of our magazine is to present the results of design analysis of vehicles recently launched on the automobile market.
This article was produced in collaboration with Mavel, a European leader in car design analysis.
The aim of this article is not to present a detailed examination of design analysis (which is available in ‘Mavel report’) but rather to throw light on some noteworthy aspects. ....read more!

Full Charge for the Cold Side
100% plastic charging air tube in large batch production

Supercharged engines are playing an increasingly important part in motor vehicle manufacture. Mann+Hummel, Ludwigsburg, Germany, are developing 100% plastic charging air tubes for the cold side of the charging air section*. These span the whole of the charging air section between the charge cooler and the connection to the shut-off valve. One factor that is of importance here is the connection to existing coupling systems because, in most cases, these parts tend to be “borrowed” from other projects and thus are not specially adapted. ....read more!

A Bonnet in 4 Minutes
Moulding system for car bonnets

The Cage System, with its rapid time cycle, meets the needs of the composite industry, in particular the demand for shortening the current, lengthy moulding processes. Using this system, only 4 minutes are needed to produce a car bonnet measuring close to 1m2. The objective of the process is to optimise to an even greater degree the production cycle , and to continue to develop complex component geometry. ....read more!

Under the hood parts shining with a new light
Optimized grades for use with the MuCell process

The main requirement of the MuCell process is to adapt the surface quality of the parts produced using it to the demands of the automotive industry. Cloudy swirling patterns on the surface are some of the typical flaws that may arise due to escaping gas. New materials are currently promising glossy Class A surfaces. ....read more!

Pure Recyclate
99.98 % purity – a promising new recycling concept

The Kelsterbach company, Ticona 2005, has developed a new long-fibre-reinforced high-tech plastic for VW. The automotive engineers from Wolfsburg are using this for the dashboard support on the Golf Plus. Thanks to a new recycling process, the recycled variant of the thermoplastic material is also being used in the dashboard support on the Golf 5 and the Golf 5 Plus. ....read more!

Read more about several products for the automotive industry
....read more!