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August 24, 2016 11:00 PM

Collaborate and automate for success

Jane Denny
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    Automotive projects are increasingly characterised by cooperation between raw materials companies, moulders, designers and tier suppliers. UTECH-polyurethane.com found some examples.

    There is a common theme among many of these developments and that is the use of in-mould coating, often with a polyurethane primer. This process has production benefits for automotive companies and their suppliers. It allows process integration, removing the need for post processing such as sanding or trimming parts before they are primed and eventually painted and so saving cost.

    We take two examples one featuring Hennecke machinery, the other KraussMaffei (KM) machinery to show how this technique can work equally well with either foamed polyurethane products, or long fibre reinforced polyurethane composites.

    Indupol, based in Arendonk, Belgium, makes components for truck and bus makers. The firm is working with Hennecke to produce rigid polyurethane foam components with a painted surface for truck cabs.

    Hennecke said it was approached by Indupol with a part that featured extreme mould geometry, which made filling the mould with polyurethane difficult.

    Consortium

    A consortium including BASF, which supplied the polyurethane system, and Bomix, which contributed paint and release agents, was formed to find a way to produce the components.

    Hennecke said its specialists carried out several series of tests in its technical centre to develop a two-stage process. In the first stage, the PU mixture fills the cavity. In the second stage, immediately after curing, a layer of paint is applied in the mould.

    After extensive testing of the sample parts, the truck manufacturer gave the go-ahead to Indupol for mass production.

    Hennecke supplied the production line. It is made up of a high-pressure Topline HK metering machine with IBC container station and a mould carrier press from Hennecke’s partner AutoRIM.

    Indupol's mould is designed as a dual cavity so the driver and passenger sides can be made in one cycle. The mould has complex geometry and a design with a grained surface, so it is equipped with hydraulic extractor rods to demould the components more easily, Hennecke added.

    ________________________________________________________________________________

    BASF simulation helps X1

    Yanfeng Automotive Interiors is using production simulation software from BASF to design the dashboard for the BMW X1 and a number of other production vehicles, BASF said.

    BASF said its Ultrasim simulation tool will accurately model the behaviour of PU systems during foaming in open or closed moulds and that it works well for instrument panels designed with the firm’s Elastoflex E semi-rigid polyurethane system, BASF said.

    BASF explained that its Ultrasim software takes the computer aided engineering model for each panel and a new material description of the semi-rigid system.

    It then uses foam-fill simulation to allow the customer to spot potential problems with component design and manufacturing before the mould is made.

    Because the issue of filling is considered in the design phase before moulds are built, instrument panels can be developed more quickly, their production process can be sped up and costs can be reduced compared to traditional techniques, the company added.

    Instrument panels are safety-relevant, large and complex components that vehicle makers approve individually for every car model, BASF said

    Foaming is crucial in their manufacture to ensure that the carrier, skin, PU foam and airbag combine properly, BASF said.

    In addition to BASF’s technical support, with Ultrasim the PU foam can be manufactured efficiently according to process and part, the firm added.

    Ultrasim contains tailor-made material models for PU systems so that the injection, foaming and hardening of the polyurethane can be precisely predicted.

    The analysis accounts for the temperature-dependent reaction process and foam formation as well as the resulting density profile and flowability during foaming, BASF said.

    This, the firm said, makes it possible to generate a location-independent calculation of the foaming process from injection via the complete mould filling to the final part density.

    “Foam-backed parts can be tailor-made for vehicle interiors, optimised for cost and performance, BASF said. It is likely to extend the simulation software for integral and flexible foams with the medium-term goal to extend it to all moulded PU systems and gain insight into the ideal PU system for a given mould,” BASF concluded.

    __________________________________________________________________________________________

    Get kitted up

    Hennecke said that the process relies on an MT 18-2 deflection mixhead with mixture supplied through an HK 470/470 high-pressure metering unit. It delivers mixture at rates of up to 940 cm³/second. AutoRIM supplied the MG series mould carriers and the press is designed for moulds of up to 2T weight, Hennecke added.

    Workers are protected by security systems with safety laser scanners and light curtains. Hennecke added that when opening, the upper and lower mould plates pivot towards the operator, making it easier for them to remove components.

    The cycle time is around five minutes, Hennecke added: “The shot time is around 4 seconds with curing time around 120 seconds. The subsequent painting step takes around two minutes until curing is complete."

    Tailgating

    Meanwhile in Russia, KM has been working with the Nano Technology Centre of Composites (NCC) - the Russian lightweight construction research centre, based in Moscow - to produce a tailgate made of a self-supporting composite structure for electric buses.

    "The customer's requirements were clearly defined: a substantial weight reduction;

    Class A surface quality in a rigid, high-strength component.”

    Wolfgang Hinz, product and sales manager at KraussMaffei

    The tailgate uses a polyurethane matrix to support long fibre injection with in-mould coating, in a bus developed by NCC and Hungary’s Evopro Group.

    The tailgate, which is 2.2 m wide x 1.4 m high, won a JEC Innovation Award this year.

    "The customer's requirements were clearly defined: a substantial weight reduction; Class A surface quality in a rigid, high-strength component,” said Wolfgang Hinz, product and sales manager at KM.

    He continued “A quick colour change and a wide range of colours were also requested. All of this had to be achieved in short cycle times.”

    Part cost was also very important, he added.

    KM and partners worked to develop the polyurethane-based long fibre injection process with in-mould coating. This gives parts with high-strength, and first-class surfaces from high gloss to matt in a wide range of colours, the company said.

    Because self-releasing primers can be used, there is no need for external mould’s release agents, the firm added.

    Technically too, the polyurethane composite approach stood out compared with traditional glass reinforced plastic systems. In the Daimler stone impact test, the LFI polyurethane system performed up to 600% better than comparable glass fibre reinforced plastic components painted with a primer.

    KM said the system was delivered to NCC in 2015 and has been used in production successfully since.

    The process revolves around a two-component paint spray machine and an LFI prototype mould.

    In the first process step, the primer is painted into the mould and the polyurethane barrier coat is applied. Hinz said a KM RimStar compact spray mixing head is used to process the polyurethane components and ensure the material is produced a to consistent temperature, which, the firm said, “ensures good surface quality.”

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Aston Martin and Dow in automotive collaboration

    Aston Martin and Dow Automotive Systems have formed a technical partnership to improve the production and performance of high-end road and sports cars.

    According to a Dow press release, the technical partnership will mean more Dow polyurethane products will be used in Aston Martin production models and racing cars.

    "We look forward to working more closely with Dow Automotive Systems in a partnership that will enable us to accelerate development and demonstrate capabilities of new products and technologies in on-road and racing environments," said David King, vice president and chief special operations officer, Aston Martin Lagonda. "Our companies have had great success together for many years and this agreement moves us to the next level of collaboration through joint technology development."

    Dow Automotive Systems said it has supplied Aston Martin with a range of customised Betamate and Betaforce structural adhesives. These have a range of processing windows and are designed for material combinations, including electro-coated steel, anodised aluminium, carbon- and glass-fibre reinforced composites.

    Most recently, on the Aston Martin DB11, a version of Betamate was developed to glue to anodised aluminium. This helped to produce a part with long-term durability and improved crash performance. The adhesive also absorbs less moisture than alternatives and enabled Aston Martin to delete the anodising oven-drying process said Dow. The firm added that this resulting in energy savings.

    On other Aston Martin models, Betaseal glass bonding systems are used to bond front, rear and side glazing as well as bonding the carbon fibre composite roof of the firm's Vanquish model, Dow said. Dow added that it's Betafill polyurethane body sealant is also used for primerless adhesion to a variety of substrates by the car maker.

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Long fibres

    The next stage sees glass fibre strands from roving and PU components simultaneously discharged into the open mould. This causes the glass fibres and the carrier matrix to bond onto the primer and form the basis of a high-strength composite, KM said.

    After the coating, and fibre polyurethane mixture is applied, the mould closes under compression and the polyurethane cross-links, KM added.

    Once the component is removed from the mould and it is ready for either additional clear coating or final coating. There is no need for intermediate treatment steps to such as trimming or priming, KM said.

    This approach has several cost advantages over other materials approaches such as sheet moulding compound or dicyclopentane.

    Firstly, there is no need to cut and pre-shape fibre mats, KM said.

    “The component density is 55% that of sheet mould compounding and it can have up to 50% glass fibre content to ensure strength,” the firm added

    The approach can be tailored to fit different problems: by choosing the right fibre lengths the component can have a high degree of flexibility. This, the company said, allows a wide range of component designs with ribs or functional integration possible.

    Additionally, the system could be used with inmould painting if required using one or two component systems, Hinz added

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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