Coating improves dash panel thermal insulation

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Apr 7, 2003

Poeton Industries has been working with Daimler-Chrysler PVO Group investigating the use of its Apticote Keronite 3250S in the front of dash panel on the redesigned Dodge Viper sports car.

With increasingly stringent regulatory requirements being introduced to reduce vehicle emissions and consumers demanding more and more onboard equipment, the car industry has been forced to rethink its materials strategy.

Magnesium, which is one-third lighter even than aluminium, offers an ideal solution, and the unit content of this lightweight metal in US vehicles is growing faster on a percentage basis than any other material.

Since setting up the Magnesium Coating Corporation (MCC) in the USA, Poeton Industries has been working with Daimler-Chrysler PVO Group investigating the use of its Apticote Keronite 3250S coating to improve the thermal insulation of the front of dash (FOD) panel on the redesigned Dodge Viper sports car.

Anthony Poeton, Managing Director of the Poeton Group, a world leader in surface coating technology, says the Dodge Viper FOD panel is the biggest thin-walled magnesium component in a Chrysler vehicle.

"It is certainly one of the most significant new automotive application for magnesium".

He says: "Weighing more than 20lbs, it is among the largest new applications for the lightweight metal in the entire automotive industry in 2003 and it is currently the largest thin walled magnesium die-casting in the world".

"We coated the component in our Wisconsin Facility in February and it is currently undergoing extensive test with the Daimler-Chrysler PVA Group".