FEATURE
FASTENINGS & ADHESIVES
spirol: Focused on lightweight, lead Free Fastening
The European Commission is placing increasing pressure on the automotive
industry to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2025. Reducing structural weight is a key factor in reducing fuel consumption. The new trend of decreasing vehicle weight is here to stay, and SPIROL is committed to this endeavour through the continuous innovation of lightweight, lead free fasteners
W
hile carbon emissions are a by-product of industry and society, the transport sector has a significantly large
impact generating approximately one quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. The two distinct approaches taken by automotive manufacturers to meet the targets set out by the European Commission is to (1) use alternative energy sources, and (2) improve fuel efficiency. Both of these approaches benefit from the reduction of vehicle weight as a means to increase the distance travelled per unit of energy consumed. Due to consumer
preferences and the ever-growing safety requirements, simply downsizing is not an option. Companies are finding themselves back at the drawing board investing more time and money than ever before on R&D to find the right combination of material substitution, optimisation of component design, and innovation in manufacturing processes. With over 73 years of experience in partnering
with companies at the design level in the automotive market, SPIROL continuously innovates products that align with industry initiatives – including the recent push for lighter, greener fasteners. For this reason, SPIROL developed a standard line of Aluminium Compression Limiters and Moulded-In Aluminium Threaded Inserts for Plastics. Both are machined from 2024 aluminium as this grade provides the best combination of strength, corrosion resistance, machinability and cost to meet the vast majority of technical and commercial requirements for a wide range of industries.
SPIROL’s
Threaded Inserts are used in many critical automotive applications
Additional advantages of this particular grade are that it is: lightweight (1/3 weight of brass), 40% stronger than brass, and lead free.
automotive applications SPIROL’s Threaded Inserts are used in critical automotive applications such as the headlamp assembly, bumper mouldings, sunroof assemblies and many others. The rugged design of the Series 63 Through Hole Inserts and Series 65 Blind End Inserts consists of multiple bands of helical knurls to maximize torque resistance, balanced with radial undercuts to achieve high pull-out (tensile) force. These Moulded-In Inserts are designed to be placed in the mould cavity prior to plastic injection, and offer exceptional performance due to unrestricted plastic flow into the retention features on the
46 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JULY/AUGUST 2021
outside diameter of the Inserts. Some automotive applications of SPIROL’s
Compression Limiters include air manifolds, fuel rails, pedal boxes and thermostat housings. The Series CL600 and CL601 can be moulded in or pressed into the assembly. The precision machined ID tolerance allows proper seating on the core pin when moulding into the assembly. When post mould installing, they are designed with a pilot that allows the part to stand freely in the hole prior to completing the installation. Once installed by either method, the knurls provide excellent retention within the hole. In addition to the aluminium Compression
Limiters and Inserts for Plastics, SPIROL has a standard line of aluminium Latch Pins for Plastics commonly used in automotive interior and exterior door handles, glove box latches and grab handles. SPIROL recently launched their new Press-N-Lok Pin, also made from aluminium, designed for use in plastic housings such as electric vehicle charging handles and in-cable control boxes (ICCB). Of course, the CO2 targets for 2025 in Europe
cannot be achieved with engine efficiency measures and lightweight materials alone. That is why so many companies are working on developing hybrid and full electric vehicles. EV battery development has boomed in recent years, and SPIROL has been working alongside industry-leading companies to help them achieve their goals of changing the future of e-mobility forever. Lightweighting is critical for e-mobility performance, and aluminium offers light weight, high strength and recyclability. By working with SPIROL from the beginning of the design stage, companies are able to incorporate SPIROL’s standard products into their assemblies
resulting in the right solutions, lower costs and faster production.
SPIROL’s drive to innovate is the core to their
success. With continuous changes to trends in technology, the need to continuously adjust and create new standardised products to meet new and emerging market requirements is critical. Given that the demands of industry are increasing daily, SPIROL’s R&D team is currently working on expanding their aluminium portfolio to support the race against climate change.
Spirol
www.spirol.com
Latch Pins
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 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82
