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

Advanced out-of-autoclave composites process accelerates curing, enhances adhesion of fasteners A new IR-assisted advanced out-of-autoclave (OOA) process from Kubota Research Associates reportedly enhances adhesion properties and “significantly” accelerates the curing speed of thermoset resin systems for installing adhesive bonded fasteners onto composite fuselage and metal structures. Read full story

Uncle Sam wants innovative solutions from suppliers A retired military officer who was the development manager for the U.S. Department of Defense's $3 trillion, six-year Future Year Defense Plan wants suppliers to know that the military wants innovative product solutions. 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