automotive | Powertrain
German automotive components group Winkelmann
Powertrain Components is meeting car makers’ demands for lighter
and better performing drive systems using injection moulded phenolics
Thermosets have the drive
Main image: High perfor- mance automotive air conditioner drive pulleys with integrated ball bearings made in
phenolic using Winkelmann’s injection- stamping technique
Left: Thermoset toothed
camshaft drive with integrated setting
adjustment device
Ahlen, Germany-based Winkelmann Powertrain Components is using one of the plastics industry’s oldest materials – thermoset phenolic resin – together with modern injection moulding technology to manufac- ture high performance engine drive belt pulleys that meet car makers’ demands for lightweight parts that match – or exceed – the performance of metal without cost penalty. The company manufactures drive belt pulleys in mineral-fi lled and fi bre-reinforced phenolic thermoset resins using its own-developed injection-stamping process, which it markets under the WIN:DUR name and runs on Wittmann Battenfeld moulding machines. Since delivering its fi rst thermoset pulleys to BMW in 1992, Winkelmann has produced more than 50m injection-stamped pulleys, which are used in applica- tions such as water pumps, hydraulic steering pumps and, more recently, cam shaft drives. And the company sees considerable growth opportunity ahead due to the combination of lighter weight and the ability to create hybrid designs that can better manage vibration.
Hybrid “decoupled” belt pulleys offer the option of decoupling the belt drive and the components connected to it from the
rotational vibration of a combus- tion motor’s crankshaft drive, says the company.
Winkelmann attributes the 18 INJECTION WORLD | June 2014
outstanding performance of its thermoset pulleys to the injection-stamping process technology. In this process, the phenolic resin is injected into the mould at low pressure, which prevents orientation of the glass fi bre reinforcement, then a stamping core is moved inside the mould to generate the pressure required to fi ll the cavity and to realise the fi nal geometry of the compo- nent in the mold. Pressure is maintained throughout the chemical cross-linking of the phenolic resin. Injection-stamped phenolic parts are lighter and
less costly to manufacture than metal. They are also less costly than thermoplastic alternatives, according to the company. Other benefi ts include outstanding dimensional stability at elevated temperature, good sound absorption, uniform mechanical properties, and high resistance to the lubricants and coolants found in the engine compartment. In addition, the processing technology results in the formation of a resin-rich outer skin that is both resistant to wear and helps ensure long belt life.
Winkelmann currently runs 23 thermoset injection moulding machines at its production plant at Ahlen with clamping forces ranging from 100 to 150t. Most of the machines are three-platen hydraulic Battenfeld CDC models, which have been modifi ed to run the injection-
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