BASF, Ford and Montaplast partner to develop carbon fiber reinforced front engine cover and structural oil pan for the Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle project
WYANDOTTE, MI, April 29, 2015 – BASF recently joined forces with Ford Motor Co. and Montaplast to develop advanced composite powertrain components as part of the Department of Energy (DOE) Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle (MMLV) demonstration project.
The main focus of the team was to convert the cast aluminum front cover and structural oil pan of the 1.0L L3 GTDI Ford Ecoboost engine to a long carbon fiber (LCF) polyamide composite. The team’s efforts resulted in prototype LCF components that saved approximately 4lbs. (1.8kg) per engine – a per component mass savings of 23 percent for the front cover and 33 percent for the structural oil pan.
“Working with an advanced composite like carbon fiber presented several new technical challenges in terms of design and processing,” said Scott Schlicker, Powertrain Marketing Manager, BASF. “We are working on many new lightweight materials and technologies to help the automotive industry meet current and future challenges. The partnership with Ford helped to advance these solutions.”
BASF worked closely with the team to deliver the finite element analyses (FEA) and to structurally optimize the parts for both performance and mass. In addition, BASF developed a new LCFPA66 composite thermoplastic called Ultramid® XA-3370 which yielded the best balance between mechanical properties and process-ability. BASF also provided processing and tooling support to ensure the quality of the molded prototype components.
Montaplast, having depth and experience with complex injection moldings, was able to produce molded parts for the project’s functional build and proof of concept.
“We really appreciate being a member of this team,” said Dave Burnett, Vice President, Montaplast. “Challenging applications of advanced thermoplastic products and finding solutions to meet our customers’ needs is what Montaplast is all about.”
The molded parts for the MMLV project will undergo testing to simulate actual in-vehicle loads, evaluate their performance and correlate the results with the computer aided engineering predictions performed by BASF. The team hopes to increase the value of these components through the integration of additional components, functions, and the reduction of manufacturing steps.
. To learn more about how BASF delivers chemistry driven innovation for the automotive industry, please visit www.automotive.basf.com
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About BASF and the automotive industry
The automotive industry is one of BASF’s key customer industries. In 2014, BASF’s sales to the automotive industry totaled €9.6 billion – representing approximately 13 percent of BASF Group sales. BASF supplies and develops functional materials and solutions that enable vehicles to be built more efficiently and have a lower environmental impact, whatever powertrain technology they use. The product range from BASF includes for example engineering plastics, polyurethane and specialty foams, coatings, pigments, catalysts, fuel additives, coolants and brake fluids, as well as battery materials. With such an extensive range of products, BASF is the world’s leading chemical industry supplier to the automotive industry. BASF cooperates closely with customers all over the world through a network embracing Europe, Asia-Pacific, North and South America as well as Africa. Further information on BASF’s solutions for the automotive industry is available on the internet at www.automotive.basf.com.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20.6 billion in 2014. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
