Plastic components cut automotive payload

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 29, 2008

New products not only ensure a smoother ride, but contribute significantly to increased vehicle fuel efficiency, thereby offering additional environmental advantages.

Trelleborg Automotive has announced the launch of two innovative thermoplastic components.

Both the Light Weight Engine Mount and Hytrel Jounce Bumper have been engineered to reduce vibration and improve acoustic performance, while delivering improved cost-saving, weight-saving and reliability benefits to car manufacturers.

As a result, the new products not only ensure a smoother ride, but contribute significantly to increased vehicle fuel efficiency, thereby offering additional environmental advantages.

As a result of their thermoplastic construction, Trelleborg's new Light Weight Engine Mount and Hytrel Jounce Bumper represent market firsts and offer specific advantages to automotive manufacturers, including: Rising steel prices continue to impact negatively on car manufacturers' profits and with standard engine mounts comprising a large amount of metal, Trelleborg Automotive's new thermoplastic variant offers a lighter and more cost effective alternative.

Importantly, while providing significant material and production cost savings, the new engine mount delivers the same performance benefits as steel.

Similar cost savings are afforded by the jounce bumper, when compared with polyurethane and rubber manufactured offerings.

In comparison to traditional, rubber to metal bonded engine mounts, Trelleborg's new thermoplastic mount is half the mass.

This mass reduction is achieved while maintaining durability, as well as an unparalleled resistance to corrosion.

According to Ludovic Chauvet, Advanced Engineering Director at Trelleborg Automotive, achieving this superior level of durability was a key prerequisite in the design of the new products.

"Ensuring a level of durability that is second-to-none is a primary goal; if the part doesn't perform as it should, it undermines our reputation for reducing NVH and enhancing isolation", says Chauvet.

As well as considerable cost savings and a weight saving of around 40%, thanks to a reduced packaging volume in the Jounce Bumper, a key Trelleborg OEM partner has succeeded in decreasing the MacPherson strut diameter by 15mm.

This cuts out further weight, improves the rebound and enhances the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle.

Thanks to the innovative features in the design of Trelleborg's new thermoplastic products, the accumulative result represents a positive effect towards the environment.

In particular, the significant reduction in weight contributes to all-round greater fuel efficiency and hence a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, enabling car manufacturers to meet the increasingly stringent emissions targets set by Euronorms.

Furthermore, thermoplastics have lower recycling costs than metals and avoid the need for paint coatings and corrosion resistant treatments such as phosphating - two processes which have cost implications, both environmentally and financially.

"For some time we have been heavily focused on rolling out global development tools to help standardise the design and validation of rigid thermoplastics for use in antivibration systems and components", continues Chauvet.

"The new Light Weight Engine Mount and Hytrel Jounce Bumper are both the results of Trelleborg Automotive's strategy to develop thermoplastic versions of all of our products".

"It is this particular unique expertise, together with our established industry pedigree that continues to give us an edge in the automotive market".

Trelleborg Automotive's components are produced using OEM approved materials and both the new Light Weight Engine Mount and Hytrel Jounce Bumper satisfy the requirements of customer design validation plans.