automotive | Update
Visio.M concept car cuts weight with PC glazing
Lightweight polymer glazing produced in SABIC’s Lexan PC was selected for its weight savings and thermal efficiency for the Visio.M light weight urban electric vehicle (EV) concept, developed by a consortium led by BMW. The EV concept uses Lexan
for the front side moving windows, rear quarter windows and the rear window. Moving windows are protected using SABIC’s Exatec E900 plasma-applied abrasion and UV resistant coating, which is claimed to meet European requirements for glazing located ahead of the B-pillar. Lexan is also used to
produce the Visio.M wind- screen, although current legislation would not allow the use of PC in this application.
The Visio.M EV uses a 15kW
electric motor and weighs a total of 450kg (without the battery pack). The adoption of PC over glass for the windows cut the weight of the vehicle by more than 13kg (almost 3%), which extends typical range on a single charge by up to 2km. The improved insulation performance also reduces HVAC loading, potentially extending range by up to 15km. “A significant share of an
EV’s energy consumption depends on its weight,” says Stefan Riederer at BMW Research & Technology. “The weight savings that we were able to achieve across our EV concept, including the significant drop in weight from the windows with SABIC’s materials and development support, allowed us to significantly reduce the amount of energy required to move the car and meet the
design intent of the vehicle.” SABIC says, for comparison purposes, the Visio.M windows were designed so that they could also be produced in glass. The company says a fully optimised PC alternative would have been even more energy and weight efficient. The Visio.M project has been running for two and a half years and is funded by the German ministry of education and research (BMBF). Charged with developing a lightweight, safe and efficient EV suitable for mass production, consor- tium members include BMW, Daimler, Technical University of Munich, Autoliv, Continental, Siemens and TUV Süd. ❙
www.sabic-ip.com
Nifco claims savings for electric investments
Automotive components maker Nifco UK reports reduced energy consumption and scrap, as well as improved output, from its latest investment in all-electric moulding technology from Sumitomo SHI Demag. Nifco operates a range of moulding machines from Sumitomo Demag at its plant at Stockton on Tees, covering clamp capacity from 160 to 650 tonnes. Production engineer- ing manager Richard Clements says the company decided to invest in the latest all-electric IntElect machines as part of its strategy of targeting zero-
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defect production. “The accuracy and consist-
ency we have achieved represents a significant improvement over conven- tional moulding machines. Applications which have caused us problems in the past – like cavity balancing and elderly tooling – have run
much more smoothly on the IntElect presses,” says Clements. Nifco also uses a number of
Sumitomo Demag process optimisation functions. ActiveFlowbalance is used to correct imbalance in multi- cavity moulds, while ActiveFlo is used to monitor the
temperature and flow of coolant in the moulds. “Our experience has shown
that electric machines are best equipped to solve the quality and cost-efficiency challenges we face in a demanding and competitive market, in particular zero defects and maximising production uptime,” says Clements. “The ability to produce consistently accurate mouldings through- out a production run gives us a real economic advantage, reducing waste, increasing uptime and lowering energy consumption.” ❙
www.sumitomo-shi-demag.com
INJECTION WORLD | November/December 2014
www.injectionworld.com
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