Quiet Steel features in new 2001/2002 vehicles

Building on its success with the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, MSC Laminates and Composites has announced the release of its "Quiet Steel" for use in body applications on a number of new vehicles

Building on its success with the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, MSC Laminates and Composites announced today the release of its "Quiet Steel" for use in body applications on a number of new vehicles for the 2001 model year.

Quiet Steel is a constrained layer "sandwich" comprising two skins of metal around a viscoelastic polymer core.

The product, provided in coil form up to 72"W and stamped into various body components, significantly reduces noise, vibration and harshness of ride conditions in the vehicle, compared to conventional CRS.

MSC Laminates and Composites is providing its Quiet Steel products for dash panel applications on the 2001 Ford Ranger, Mazda B-Series, Mercury Mountaineer and the 2002 Explorer, recently introduced by Ford for mid-year rollout.

Extensive acoustical testing revealed the substantial reduction of ambient noise achieved by using Quiet Steel" in the dash panel.

In addition, the product affords overall space, weight and cost reductions onboard, plus Quiet Steel is an environmentally friendly material, 100% recyclable.

In the press kit on the new 2001 Ford Ranger, it states, "The laminate instrument panel offers more sound isolation refinement than that of a traditional pickup, to help continue Ranger's reign at the top of an increasingly competitive and quality-driven compact pickup truck market.

Meanwhile, in the promotional matter posted at the corporate web site, the following statement appears in reference to the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, "a laminated steel dash (among other features) adds up to luxury-vehicle quietness and NVH levels." According to MSC Laminates and Composites VP of Sales, Jim Carlen, "The success of Quiet Steel on the Explorer Sport Trac was a springboard into additional business with Ford and its other divisions, plus we've had very favorable response at the material testing and prototype stages with other vehicle makers.

The data we've already amassed on the acoustic, manufacturing and assembly upsides of this product are very impressive and body designers are looking seriously at its implementation in various applications." Quiet Steel is produced at the company's facilities throughout North America, Europe and South America, as well as a new plant in Asia, now under construction.

Full test data, product samples and further information will be provided, upon request.

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