Less is More – Röchling Automotive Demonstrates Airflow Competence at the SAE 2014 World Congress
Specialist for Active Grille Shutters and Lightweight Underbody Materials Showcases New Developments to Reduce Drag and Enhance the Range of Electric Vehicles
(firmenpresse) - Mannheim, 04/01/2014 – Aerodynamic improvements are an effective approach to reduce drag, and with it the CO2 emissions of conventional vehicles. In terms of electric vehicles (EV), these optimizations are among the most cost-efficient methods to provide additional kilometers of range. Air flap systems and lightweight underbody parts by Röchling Automotive are environmentally friendly solutions which perfectly fulfill the automaker’s requirements and allow him to build more efficient vehicles.
At the SAE 2014 World Congress in Detroit, USA, the German supplier will showcase its advanced, controllable shutter systems as well as its state-of-the-art underbody applications made of lightweight materials in booth 403. In addition, we will be pleased to arrange an interview appointment with one of our experts for you. Please notify us by Thursday, April 3, 2014 at the latest (marco.lanz(at)text-com.de). For further questions or additional feedback, please feel free to contact us at any time (Marco Lanz, Tel. +49 6128 853-7585).
Active Grille Shutter – Utilizing the Air Flow
For more than a decade, Röchling Automotive has convinced with system expertise in the area of controllable air flap systems. At the SAE 2014 World Congress, the company will showcase its latest innovative air flap system for EVs such as the Tesla S, which features a module with a total of four air flaps. One of the engineers’ main targets during the design phase was to achieve minimal air leakage and maximum air flow. The system is named Active Grille Shutter EVolution and it optimizes aerodynamics as well as battery cooling and temperature control. In addition, the shutter system extends the range of the electric vehicle significantly.
In the open position, the shutter system enables the best possible cooling air flow and simultaneously provides a high cooling capacity, while in the closed position, it reduces drag and the time necessary to bring all driving components up to their operating temperatures.
Röchling Automotive’s air flaps are controlled by actuators specifically developed according to the particular requirements. Suitable for nearly all applications, they can easily be adjusted to the operating conditions of a given vehicle through the installation of a customized software. The actuators process the engine control signals and relay everything that happens in the operation of the shutter system back to the engine control unit.
LWRT – New Weight-saving Material Concepts
The use of controllable air flap systems is only one concept used to improve the drag of a vehicle. Novel lightweight materials such as LWRT (Low Weight Reinforced Thermoplastic) are becoming more and more important for underbody components as they improve aerodynamics, enhance NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) performance and optimize thermal management. Compared to previously used materials such as GMT (Glass Mat Reinforced Thermoplastic), LWRT allows weight savings of up to 50 %.
In order to limit the vehicle’s weight, it is necessary to have integrated solutions in which underbody panels, chassis and carpeting are molded together into one single component. Stratura® for example supports hybrid chassis construction while simultaneously offering both a high degree of strength and excellent insulating properties.
LWRT materials provide a multi-layer sandwich structure which can be adapted flexibly to customer demands. This allows solutions featuring particular firmness or bending stiffness which are at the same time capable of withstanding strong forces. The Syntralite® family for example convinces with its self-extinguishing properties. Syntralite ST scores in terms of mechanical values, while the latest development Isoraloft is solid, light and endowed with great thermoacoustic properties.
In addition to lightweight products, Röchling Automotive will showcase further possibilities for optimization of the underbody at the SAE 2014 World Congress. Injection molded compounds have similarly good properties as D-LFT components. However, they offer a wide range of design possibilities and are therefore the more efficient option in many cases. Even for applications in which weight and acoustics play a less important role, Röchling Automotive has an innovative and cost-effective alternative solution to supply.
Röchling Automotive thus provides the entire range of underbody materials and allows automakers to find the best application for a particular model.
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About the Röchling Group
The globally operating Röchling Group stands for competence in plastics with more than 7,500 employees at 60 plants in 20 countries. With their two divisions High-Performance Plastics and Automotive Plastics, the company focusses on processing high-grade plastics to fabricate semi-finished products, parts and systems for a host of industrial applications.
Röchling stands for innovative products and cutting-edge technology in processing technical plastics.
The High-Performance Plastics division has a product spectrum ranging from semi-finished products, such as sheets, rods, tubes and plates, profiles and casted parts right up to machined finished components.
The Automotive Plastics division supplies automotive manufacturers and system suppliers throughout the world with technologically sophisticated plastic applications used to solve the ongoing challenges of the automotive industry: reducing weight, consumption and emissions, and optimizing costs.
Themen in dieser Pressemitteilung:
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Leseranfragen:
Röchling Automotive SE & Co. KG
Ernst Platten
Richard-Wagner-Straße 9
68165 Mannheim
Tel: 0621/4402339
Fax: 0621/4402335
eMail: ernst.platten(at)roechling-automotive.de
TEXT-COM GmbH
Ziegelhüttenweg 4
65232 Taunusstein
Tel: 06128/8537585
Fax: 06128/853759
marco.lanz(at)text-com.de
Datum: 04.04.2014 - 13:31 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 329665
Anzahl Zeichen: 5937
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Kategorie:
Automotive
Typ of Press Release: Produktinformation
type of sending: Veröffentlichung
Date of sending: 01.04.2014
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