Material Innovations

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MSC Laminates and Composites Polycore oil pan

The new 6.6-L Duramax 6600 V8 diesel engine from DMAX, a joint venture of GM and Isuzu, powers some 2001 GM pickup trucks.

As part of an overall design strategy to reduce noise and vibration in its new 6.6-L Duramax 6600 V8 diesel engine, DMAX (a joint venture of GM and Isuzu) selected Polycore Composites PCX-9 for the oil pan. MSC Laminates and Composites Inc. is supplying this product for stamping and assembly at the engine manufacturing facility in Moraine, OH. The new engine, which powers the HD Series pickup trucks in the 2001 GM line, features the highest power and torque rating currently available on a diesel pickup, according to GM.

MSC Laminates and Composites supplies the Polycore Composites oil pan for the Duramax engine.

PCX-9 comprises two metal skins constraining a viscoelastic polymer layer. Vibration damping, weight reduction, and overall cost savings are achieved through use of the new material, according to MSC. It is supplied in coil form and is stamped into the oil pan configuration with virtually no loss in composite uniformity or performance characteristics.

"Our experience in supplying powertrain components for NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) attenuation is now reaching 20 years," said Tom Welch, Director of Transportation Sales for MSC's Powertrain and Body business unit. "We've made our own advancements in R&D to utilize more effective materials in our composite buildups. Doing this has allowed us to achieve greater efficiency in weight reduction, end product formability, and other manufacturing areas."

- Jean L. Broge

Davco and Harbec use Dow's ISOPLAST

Davco Manufacturing has developed a product called Fuel Pro to filter, heat, and prepare fuel for diesel engine systems. A key element in Davco's fuel processor is its see-through cover, developed in conjunction with Harbec Plastics Inc. The cover is made with ISOPLAST polyurethane resins from Dow Plastics. Eliminating the need for separate filters, this new multifunctional fuel-processing system reduces unnecessary maintenance and filter inventory. Additionally, the clear cover provides visual assessment of filter and fuel conditions and prevents the arbitrary fuel filter changes that often raise the cost of diesel-system maintenance.

"From an operational standpoint, the new fuel system works very well," said Mark Visovatti, Davco Manufacturing Designer. "The new cover makes maintenance a lot easier too. It is very easy to see what's going on inside and even evaluate the condition of the diesel fuel and filter, which leads to insight into other potential engine maintenance problems."

The see-through cover of Davco's fuel processor was developed in conjunction with Harbec Plastics using ISOPLAST polyurethane resins from Dow Plastics.

The diesel-grade fuel used in larger vehicles such as trucks and buses must be filtered more extensively than gasoline, forcing more frequent maintenance of the fuel systems. For many years, it was standard practice to begin correcting problems in the fuel system by taking the system apart and replacing the filter. The effect of this trouble-shooting method resulted in high maintenance cost for parts and labor.

According to Davco, the new fuel-processing system made with Seeing is Believing technology allows the mechanic to analyze more accurately other potential problems within the fuel system, such as the condition of the fuel and the presence of air bubbles or other contaminants. Correct identification of the trouble increases the life of the fuel filter. ISOPLAST resins were selected for this application because of their enhanced chemical resistance, toughness, dimensional stability, and light transmission capability (nearly 90%), according to Scott Blanchard, Dow Plastics.

Davco needed a custom injection molder capable of manufacturing the see-through cover for the fuel processor with ISOPLAST resins and requested a list of recommended molding companies from Dow Plastics. Harbec Plastics was chosen because of its experience in processing ISOPLAST resins and manufacturing specialty parts and equipment for the heavy-equipment industry. To achieve optimum material and production performance for this application, Harbec experienced a considerable learning curve to learn how to successfully manufacture ISOPLAST resins and quickly found that moisture was a key element in the molding process.

"Prior to nailing down the exact processing characteristics, Harbec preferred to process the resins in the winter months when humidity conditions were more favorable," said Jack Schultz, General Manager of Harbec Plastics. "Now running ISOPLAST resins is just as easy as running nylon." Harbec also adapted its processing techniques to account for variables such as screw design, melt ratios, and material incompatibiliy.

Defining these processing variables gave Harbec the ability to run the resin off any of its machines. "The company started with the production of fuel covers for heavy trucks at about 20,000 to 30,000 units per year," said Schultz. "Now we produce two different covers and two collar pieces at about a quarter million parts per year."

With a 40% market share, the product is currently accepted by all major fleets worldwide and has the distinction of being the only plastic product on the display engine in the lobby of Detroit Diesel.

- Jean L. Broge

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