Materials

Honeywell, DuPont defend R-1234yf; Ford backs refrigerant studies Daimler's decision to halt use of the new refrigerant on safety concerns leads to a product defense by joint-venture suppliers Honeywell and DuPont, citing SAE studies and their own tests. Although GM is the only U.S. maker with R-1234yf cars, Ford also backs the refrigerant's use. Read full story

ZF explores composites for lightweight truck-chassis design Along with optimized design, including the integration of functions for individual components, new materials for heavy-truck applications are leading ZF’s lightweight charge. One example on display at the IAA show was a “study” of a four-point link made from glass-fiber-reinforced plastic that reduces weight by 25% compared to the standard cast component. Read full story

2013 GM Lambda 'full stitched' IPs win SPE grand prize; Ford dominates finalists General Motors' new all-polyolefin, soft-skin, contour-stitched full instrument panel (IP) system in the 2013 Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia captured both the Body Interior award and the prestigious Grand Award at the 2012 SPE awards gala Nov. 7. But four of the nine SPE award finalists were Ford products. Read full story

End-to-end solution for mass-producing composite vehicles To leverage composites as a key strategy in the automotive industry, a complete solution is needed that addresses the challenges of designing, analyzing, and manufacturing composite vehicles in a way that brings them to market faster and at lower cost, says a Dassault Systèmes expert. Read full story

Specialty lubricants tailored for current and future brake system components Selection of the right lubricant is one of the most challenging tasks for automotive brake system designers and engineers, says a Dow Corning expert. Read full story

Heavy on the lightweighting Weight reduction is already a significant consideration in companies’ product development efforts, and the emphasis is only going to increase in the years ahead, according to SAE-member survey respondents. Read full story

A different riff on your basic two-seat electric car Markus Lienkamp, Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, says that "electromobility" is impeded at the moment by range anxiety, prohibitive costs, and inconvenient charging. That’s why Lienkamp is leading the Visio.M project, a German government-supported R&D effort to produce a low-cost, high-utility electric car that might attract the interest of the middle European mass market. Read full story

Hydroformed pillars are world’s first in 2013 Ford Fusion Ford is using hydroformed steel tubes, in DP1000 alloy, for the B-pillar and A-pillar roof rail in the new Fusion sedan. Engineers say the benefits are numerous vs. using hot-stamped, welded sheet. Read full story

GM tools up for high-volume aluminum structures with new welding technology The process centers on a new electrode-tip design. It will enable GM’s global body shops to spot-weld virtually any combination of aluminum sheet, extrusions, and castings at higher production rates than are currently used in automotive aluminum-structures manufacturing. Read full story