UNDER THE HOOD | AUTOMOTIVE
Reducing weight in automotive under-the-hood applications is no longer just enough. Plastics are now providing additional properties for the engine designer to exploit, writes Mark Holmes
Meeting the E-mobility challenge
Lightweighting in the automotive industry has been prevalent for some time and is continuing in under-the-hood applications in conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines. How- ever, the continued move towards electric vehicles is providing new opportunities for plastics and injection moulders. Resin manufacturers, com- pounders, masterbatchers and additive suppliers are all developing new materials with under-the- hood applications in mind that both reduce weight and deliver other properties that E-mobility demands. In addition, manufacturers of injection moulding machinery are adapting their equipment to process more complex materials, but still meet expected higher levels of productivity. The main trends that Ascend Performance
Materials is observing in automotive under-the- hood applications currently are higher thermal loads and greater electrification. “Fuel efficiency and electronic features are really driving the automotive industry right now,” says Vikram Gopal, Senior Vice-President, Technology. “Turbocharging smaller internal combustion engines continues to drive up the thermal load under-the-hood. Simulta- neously, metal-to-plastic replacement continues apace in order to reduce weight and manage
www.injectionworld.com
precious space in the powertrain. We are also finding that automotive OEMs are beginning to crossover and look at electrical and electronic specifications for their materials. We are getting greater calls for more flame retardant materials to support electrification and increased electronics associated with sensors, entertainment systems and on-board computers.” Electric vehicles (EV) are also presenting a number of interesting material challenges. “Range anxiety still exists for many consumers, even as EV range continues to increase,” Gopal says. “Light- weighting will become a greater concern for EV manufacturers in the not-too-distant future as Li-ion battery technology plateaus and they seek other opportunities to extend range. Aside from range, safety is another area vitally important to EVs and high-voltage hybrid vehicles. Ensuring that the electrolyte is contained and the battery is protect- ed in the event of a crash is a new challenge with a number of material and system possibilities. “Lightweighting without sacrificing noise, vibra- tion and harshness (NVH) performance in automo- tive is another interesting technical area. OEMs are attacking weight throughout the vehicle, with the body-in-white (BIW) and chassis of particular interest
Main image: Arburg has demonstrated the production of magnetising rotors directly in the mould for E-mobility applications
May 2019 | INJECTION WORLD 41
PHOTO: ARBURG
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54
