Automotive Design & Production is the one media brand invested in delivering your message in print, online, via email, and in-person to the right automotive industry professionals at the right time.
Issue link: https://adp.epubxp.com/i/282581
AD&P; > April 2014 > NOTABLE 18 KOMET JEL and BASS thread milling and tapping tools A complete range of tools for all your thread making needs TOOLS PLUS IDEAS www.komet.com 800-656-6381 Learn more about this and other great ideas. Go to www.komet.com/greatideas or scan this QR code. KOMET JEL and BASS thread milling and tapping tools A complete range of tools for all your thread making needs The idea: Providing solutions that will enhance your performance and maximize tool life. Why it's great: • Innovations such as 3-in-1, drilling, chamfering & threading tools • Solid carbide, carbide-brazed, PCD, and HSS-E tools to fi t your needs and budget • Engineering and application support for special tools Here's a great idea for: Thread making All-Plastic Tailgate Reduces Mass 30% An all-plastic tailgate designed and fabricated by SABIC Innovative Plastics ( sabic-ip,.com ) weighs nearly 28 lb. (12.5 kg) less than a similarly sized tailgate made from metal. This, according to Scott Fallon, general manager for automotive plastics at SABIC, represents a 30% weight save. He acknowledges, however, "The all-plastic tailgate is a unique design because a lot of other designs have been retroftted from metal to plastic, and we designed in plastics from the beginning." Fallon claims that this is the frst tailgate that is completely plastic. He cites, for example, the plastic tailgate on the Nissan Rogue, but points out, "It doesn't have a back light that is also plastic. From the glazing down, our tailgate is completely done in plastic," Fallon says. This all-plastic solution not only provides double-digit weight savings, but also saves assembly time and potentially cost through part consolidation, he adds. "We see a lot of opportunity to replace glass with poly- carbonate," Fallon says. "We had to develop a proprietary technology to get the surface of polycarbonate to be as resistant to scratch and weather as glass." For the 2013 Volkswagen XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid, SABIC used a two-shot injection-molded solution with the company's EXATEC plasma coating technology to make the side windows. This glazing provides a 33% weight save compared to conventional glass. "We started replacing glass with glazing in roof applications and rear-quarter windows, and have been expanding from there," Fallon says. Depending on the application, plastic provides weight savings between 30 and 50% compared to traditional glass, he says.—ZP p This prototype all-plastic SUV tailgate designed by SABIC Innovation Plastics saves nearly 28 lb. compared to a similar tailgate made from metal materials. 0414ADP Notable.indd 18 3/18/2014 12:19:03 PM