Product development | automotive
Light work for Porsche
Product development group
Hofmann Innovation played a key role in Hella’s development of the
new LED rear light technology used on Porsche’s new Macan SUV
Automotive lighting has to combine the best aspects of function, performance and style. Bringing those three critical elements together in the rear lighting system for the new Porsche Macan was the challenge taken on by German lighting specialist Hella. The company’s solution uses its patented ‘Edgelight’ LED strip lighting technology, which relies on advanced injection mould- ing technology to deliver the performance demanded for this safety-critical application. At the heart of Macan’s rear lighting system is a
thick-walled Edgelight light guide that is injection moulded in PMMA. The component incorporates a complex prism geometry to guide the light from the LED sources. It is said to provide superior illumination design and precision over conventional lighting technology but the demanding technical requirements called for a new approach to mould and model making, according to Hella’s development partner Hofmann Innovation Group. Hella’s rear light design for the Macan is comprised
of three component groups: The T1 upper and T1 middle component groups are screwed to an element to provide the lighting and direction indicator; the T1 lower component group provides brake light and/or strip-form signal function. This technical and space saving solution allows the signal light to be integrated flexibly into the outer skin of the vehicle body. In addition to the Edgelight light modules, the rear
light component groups include lenses manufactured in PMMA in four colours (transparent red, transparent grey, opaque black opaque and transparent light red) using a three-step injection moulding technology. These elements are produced using established processing technology, with only the heavily tiered contour of the
www.injectionworld.com June 2014 | INJECTION WORLD 15
upper light lens marking them out as unusual. Development of the Edgelight module, however,
required a range of fundamental investigations and thorough checking of production processes at each stage. Hella devised an eight-stage 16-month develop- ment process, with some running partly in parallel. The process comprised: development of the principle; part design; generation of basic 3D CAD data; creation of models; mould design; production mould manufactur- ing; start-up tests; and commercial production start-up. “This was not just a matter of the close meshing of
tool and model making with the Hella project, but also the adaptation of the final light module to the needs of production. The design of the component and all other system components had to be made suitable for manufacture,” says Hofmann Tool Making project manager Friedrich Voßwinkel. “The light module is subject to high expectations in
terms of design, surface look and function. At the same time, the customer expects a design which is optimised for plastics and which ensures process stability during production, with complete freedom
Main image: Hofmann Innovation
played a key
role in develop- ing Hella’s Edgelight LED light guide
optics for the new Porsche Macan
Below: Porsche aims to
produce up to 80,000 Macan SUVs each year
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