Applying the brake to cooling times
Alexander Jung-König, Project Manager for media-assisted injection moulding at Polytec Automotive

Water injection technology (WIT) has been the name of the game at Polytec since 1999. Following a range of mass production parts, the company now also produces media lines using WIT. We spoke with Alexander Jung-König, Project Manager for media-assisted injection moulding at Polytec Automotive, about this state of the art technology and trends within the Polytec Group. .....read more!

Visualization comes first
Simulation and Virtual Reality (VR) optimize IM process

3D-Visualization and Virtual Reality have reached the maturity level for the productive use in an industrial environment. Easy-to-use soft- and hardware components are opening up a significant added value and a competitive advantage during simulation of injection moulding processes. Today a continuous portfolio for evaluation, simulation and visualization solutions is available from the first idea of the component part, the part design, the mould construction and the optimization to the point of mould making and sales. ....read more!

36th SPE Automotive Innovation Awards Galas

On November 13, 2006, the 36-annual SPE-automotive innovation awards gala commenced at Burton Mannor in Livonia, MI/USA, to once again honor winners of the competition for the year’s Most Innovative Uses of Plastics in transportation applications. The 2006 event was notable for the large number of awards that went to a single OEM - DaimlerChrysler - which swept 7 of the 11 top awards. ....read more!

The ultimate in adaptability – design your own car!

It had to happen! Now the Paris-based design agency Fritsch Associés has come up with what could be a new way of thinking about the cars we drive: a flexible design concept that allows the car-owners freedom to tailor the car to their own requirements. Today a jaunt in the country, tomorrow a workhorse – in one and the same motor vehicle? Fritsch Associés envision a single automotive concept sufficiently flexible to adapt to the individual requirements of the vehicle’s owner. ....read more!

Toyota RAV4
Vehicle of the month

The purpose of this section which we feature in every edition 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 a design (which is available in “Mavel’s report”) but rather to throw light on some noteworthy aspects. ....read more!

Multi-components from a single source
Husky's automotive day

To mark “Automotive Day“ in November last year the Husky company issued invitations to Dudelange in Luxembourg. Over a period of four days, around 300 delegates from twelve countries were offered the opportunity to take part in live presentations, and to evaluate solutions from the Canadian company and their partners in the sectors of tooling, raw materials and automation for the automotive industry. ....read more!

From Metal to Plastics
Plastics-to-rubber components in place of metal-to-rubber

The development of assemblies that traditionally have been made of rubber bonded to metal, has increasingly seen the use of thermoplastics to replace the metal component. The ability to integrate more functionality, reduce weight and bond tightly with rubber and elastomers all help make plastics the obvious choice. DSM’s Stanyl PA46, which is a well-known and popular choice for metal replacement, brings some specific benefits to this particular area. ....read more!

Advanced Base Resins
New PP technologies for exterior applications

The next generations of polyolefin developments for exterior applications are likely to address the following attributes: lower coefficient of thermal expansion, higher stiffness, higher scratch and mar resistance, and good impact performance. The applications expected to be targeted are automotive roof rails, front grills and body panels. The products or polyolefin compounds developed for these new applications are based on raw materials, such as polypropylene resin, plastomer, reinforcements, and additives, which are compounded using advanced twin screw technology. ....read more!

Balance between Properties and Costs
Moulding of self-reinforced plastics

Aptiform is dedicated specifically to mould components from self-reinforced plastics, a family of materials that offer a unique balance of properties and cost. The forming process used by Aptiform allows OEMs to benefit from the light weight, recyclability, high impact performance and low cost offered by self-reinforced plastics. ....read more!

5,000 hours of aging
Long term fuel aging of peroxide cured “APA” fluoroelastomers

Sealing needs in automotive fuel system have continued to evolve. Peroxide cured fluoroelastomers have been increasingly used in this application field for the past 15 years. An improved generation of peroxide cured Advanced Polymer Architecture (APA) technology fluoroelastomers (FPM) has arrived offering further enhanced properties. Increasing demands will require not only low permeation materials, but also will require robust systems that can maintain the original design intent for 12 to 15 years. All this must be accomplished with elastomers resistant to today’s gasoline fuels, as well as bio and alcohol fuels we are likely to use in the next decade. ....read more!

Triple Support
GE Materials for BMW, Honda and Opel

GE has a long-standing commitment to the automotive sector.  An array of application possibilities for tried-and-tested materials, plus on-going product development, offer OEMs and their suppliers alike intelligent support in meeting and implementing their design specifications. ....read more!

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