The ongoing quest for lightweight vehicles is forcing automotive engineers to look for new ways to replace metal powertrain components with plastic. Here are three important questions to ask.
A Tier One supplier is using plant-derived nylon resin to produce automotive radiator end tanks. It is the first time that a bioplastic has been used in mechanical components exposed to the hot, chemically aggressive underhood environment.
Dual-clutch transmissions are popular because they help improve fuel efficiency. A Tier One supplier uses nylon to make integrated control units for its transmissions.
Last week, the much-anticipated Tata Nano “people’s car” went on sale in India. The $2,000 microcar, which has been hailed as the 21st century’s Model T, promises to open up motoring to an entirely new group of consumers. The car features a plastic air-intake manifold.
When most engineers think about “flexibility,” they imagine robots. The devices can perform a wide variety of repeatable tasks. But, their flexibility is limited by some programming and parts feeding challenges.
Future generations of green vehicles will depend on in-wheel motors. The technology involves a combination to wheels, tires, motors, brakes, steering, suspension and cooling systems. It eliminates the need for traditional components such as engines, transmissions, differentials and transmission shafts, which can result in a 10 percent to 25 percent weight reduction and a 20 percent to 30 percent fuel savings.
If you have a good idea for building an extremely fuel-efficient vehicle, the X Prize Foundation wants to hear from you. The goal of the prize is to inspire a new generation of production-capable vehicles that can exceed the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon. Teams that successfully compete in a series of stage races held in different parts of the United States will be eligible to share in a $10 million award.
A truly flexible assembly plant could produce cars, aircraft engines, refrigerators, cell phones and bagpipes on the same line. However, that type of scenario probably will never happen, because there are limits to flexibility. In fact, the most flexible type of factory may be a disposable factory.
The word “flexible” is defined many different ways by different manufacturers. That inconsistency can make it difficult to measure and monitor the effectiveness of flexible assembly lines.
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