Wednesday - SAE
WEDNESDAY
VISIT www.sae.org/congress FOR THE ONLINE VERSION
Integration is king, says Queen
In a week that brings engineers
together from all over the world,
and dares to put competitors not
only under the same roof but often
in the same room or on the same
stage, James Queen, Vice President,
GM North America Engineering,
General Motors, Corp. talked
at yesterday afternoon’s keynote
address in the AVL Technology
Theater about integration. He
touched upon the topic at several
different levels.
“Beyond any individual company,
it is important to have an
industry coalition of OEMs and
suppliers working together,”
Queen said. “Cooperation is
absolutely essential for exchanging
business and technical information
for advancing our industry.”
Queen added that “the SAE
World Congress is the most
important international forum”
for enabling such cooperation, as
well for “growing future generations
of successful engineers and
technical leaders.”
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
See INTEGRATION, Page 17
Industry taking active stance on safety
Diminishing returns from
passive safety features has
the automotive industry, as
well as its regulators,
turning to active safety
features. One of the
biggest obstacles associated
with this evolution is
public acceptance of active
safety features. As several
speakers noted at
Tuesday’s session, “Electronic
Active Safety
Systems: How Far Can We
Go?” the typical driver is
loath to let the vehicle’s
onboard computers decide for
them what it should do in dangerous
situations.
It’s not an insurmountable
problem, though, as evidenced by
the fact that drivers already have
given up some degree of control
with antilock braking systems.
Other systems beginning to make
their way into production vehicles
include adaptive cruise control,
brake assist, and electronic stability
control—where a vehicle’s
General Motors’ James Queen spoke at
Tuesday afternoon’s keynote on
Technical Integration. “It’s a great time
to be an engineer in the automotive
business,” he said.
Integration is also important
within a company, he stressed, and
in the past, too often forgotten.
“An entire organization can be
improved by integrating the efforts
of different departments,” said
Queen. He provided the example
Thomas Gillespie (far right), moderated
Tuesday’s “Electronic Active Safety Systems: How
Far Can We Go?” panel, which featured (from
left to right) Delphi’s Richard Lind, Denso’s
Hiroshi Fujinami, Ford’s Susan Cischke, and
NHTSA’s Joseph Kanianthra.
computers determine how to help
drivers in certain circumstances
and then do so via braking. Future
technologies could involve an even
greater level of automatic vehicle
intervention.
Joseph Kanianthra, Associate
Administrator for Applied Research
at the U.S. National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration
(NHSTA), said drivers are responsible
for about 90% of fatal
accidents, and vehicle defects
See INDUSTRY, Page 17
The Ford Shelby Cobra concept, revealed in January 2004 at the North
American International Auto Show, is on display at the Ford Motor Co. booth
adjacent to the AVL Technology Theater. Powering the Shelby Cobra is an allaluminum
6.4-L V10 that produces 605 hp (451 kW) at 6750 rpm and 501 lb•ft
(679 N•m) at 5500 rpm without supercharging or turbocharging. Many of the
car’s components are borrowed from the Ford GT, including the rear-mounted
six-speed transaxle and the slightly modified suspension system, steering rack,
rear rails, and bumper beam. Its seven-spoke BBS wheels are wrapped by BF
Goodrich Z-rated racing slicks, 275/40R18 in front and 345/35R19 in the rear.
Software issues head list for
embedded system design
Software is becoming a product differentiator in vehicle design, so
creating and testing code is emerging as a key issue. Panelists discussing
“Embedded Controls Development Challenges for the Future” in the AVL
Technology Theater on Tuesday weren’t shy about shining the spotlight
on software. “Hardware has become a commodity. The most exciting
features today and in the future come from software,” said Deepak Goel,
Manager of Body and Security Subsystems at Ford Motor Co.
One of the key areas of development is in auto code generation,
which is growing in usage even though many automotive designers view
it with skepticism.
“Auto coding still has a lot of issues to debate, but I think it’s got a
great future,” said Herbert Hanselmann, CEO for dSpace. He added that
the technology has advanced significantly in recent years, but that is
unknown in many areas. “One of the really big things we have to do is
educate people,” he said.
Automatically generated code is generally easier to debug, and
modules can be re-used in future designs. Though a machine’s approach
is more structured
than hand-coded
software, design
teams cannot rely
on it being done
correctly every time.
It must be examined
on the system
extensively before
managers sign off
on the design. “You
need to have even
better testing and
diagnostics when
you use code
Software issues were a hot topic for (l-r) Jason Fortier,
Jack Little, Herbert Hanselmann, and Deepak Goel
Tuesday afternoon in the AVL Theater.
See SOFTWARE, Page 17
Today’s Congress
Highlights
• Keynote Presentation
High Performance Cars - A
Passion for Performance
From Muscle Cars to Soccer
Moms: Redefining High
Performance
J. T. Battenberg III, Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive
Officer & President, Delphi Corp.
9:00 a.m.
AVL Technology Theater
• Business Panel on Poland
9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Dana Technical Innovation Forum
• High Performance Cars - A
Passion for Performance
The Team Approach to the
Design of High Performance
Vehicles
10:00 a.m.
AVL Technology Theater
• Spotlight on Austria: Styria
On the Cutting Edge of
Automotive Technology
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Dana Technical Innovation Forum
• Keynote Presentation
Market Impact of High
Performance Vehicles
Phil Martens, Group Vice
President, Product Creation,
North America, Ford Motor Co.
Noon
AVL Technology Theater
• SAE Annual Business Meeting
1:00-1:15 p.m.
Dana Technical Innovation Forum
• High Performance Cars - A
Passion for Performance
New Vehicle Engineering -
The Ford GT
1:30 p.m.
Dana Technical Innovation Forum
• Innovative Applications of
Materials - Selecting the Right
Combination of Materials and
Manufacturing Processes to
Save Time, Weight, and
Money
1:30 p.m.
AVL Technology Theater
• IMechE / SAE Exchange
Lecture: Getting Fun
Out of Diesel
John Mardell, Chairman,
IMechE Automobile Division
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Cobo Center, D2-13/14
• New Product Design and
Development - How Lean Can
We Get? More new models,
less product lead time, more
focus on initial product quality
all add up to higher product
design and development costs.
How can the industry use new
technology to solve this
challenge?
3:30 p.m.
AVL Technology Theater
• 19th Cliff Garrett
Turbomachinery Engineering
Award Lecture
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Cobo Center, M2-30
• International Reception
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Cobo Center, Promenade Room
1
Continental-Teves CEO Wolfgang Ziebart chats with Mattias Rabe, Executive
Director of Group Research with Volkswagen.
Two-time CART Championship racing driver Gil de Ferran meets with VP and
Technical Director of Toyota Racing Development, Peter Spence.
Robert LeFort, President, Infineon
North America, moderated the
“Embedded Control Development”
panel in the AVL Technology Theater
on Tuesday.
Susan M. Cischke, Vice President of
Environmental Safety Engineering for
Ford Motor Co., discussed electronic
active safety systems with fellow AVL
Technology Theater panelists.
Larry Denton, President & CEO, Dura Automotive Systems, presented the
company’s business strategy at a press conference.
Former Detroit Lions great and NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders signs autographs
to benefit the Boy Scouts in the Motorola booth on Tuesday.
Chassis integration key to
safety improvements
Electronic stability control (ESC) systems provide huge safety benefits, but
the U.S. consumer needs to know that, said Wolfgang Ziebart, Deputy
Chairman of Continental AG’s Executive Board, who gave the Active
Safety keynote address held in the AVL Technology Theater Tuesday
morning. ESC’s performance has improved greatly since its introduction
nearly a decade ago, he added, but further integration with other vehicle
systems will provide even better safety and performance benefits.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) says that in
2002, auto-related fatalities in the U.S.
alone were nearly 43,000, and nearly 3
million people were injured. While the
data released last July by NHTSA shows
fatalities at a 10-year high, injuries are
at an all-time low. Ziebart believes this
indicates the concentrated focus on
passive systems such as airbags and
seatbelts is reducing the severity of
injuries in accidents, but that crash
avoidance is taking a back seat. So,
active systems such as ESC must
become a primary focus of the industry
Wolfgang Ziebart, Deputy
Chairman of Continental AG’s
Executive Board, sees the linking
of active and passive systems as
the key enabler to improved
vehicle safety.
and a personal choice by consumers to
prevent accidents from occurring in
the first place. It is the responsibility of
engineers to develop systems that
assist the driver in recognizing and
See CHASSIS, Page 17
Visualizing sound for quieter cars
Automotive designers and engineers will be able to make quieter
vehicles if they can see sound. That’s the concept behind a
startup that uses technology to create 3-D models allowing
developers to see where noise is generated or “leaking” into the
vehicle cockpit.
The startup, SenSound LLC, has licensed what it calls acoustic
holography developed at Wayne State University. The testing
and analysis technology lets designers of planes, trains, automobiles,
and consumer products “see” where unwanted sound is
generated and how it travels through space and time.
“To reduce noise, you need to know its sources and paths,”
said Sean Wu, a Wayne State professor who is Chief Technology
Officer at the startup.
He noted that the SenSound technology is much faster than
the analysis tools being used today. “If you use lasers, it’s very
time consuming. It can take all day to figure out what’s causing
brake squeal. We provide more information and do it in one
minute,” Wu said.
The technology can detect sounds across the full spectrum of
noise. “We can go up to 6000, even 7000 Hz,” said Sergio Maza,
SenSound President.
The acoustic holography system uses a variety of microphones
that are positioned near the object being tested such as a car
door or brake drum. The microphones can detect exactly where
noise is being generated. “We can distinguish between two small
holes located only 1.4 cm (0.5 in) apart,” Maza said.
Terry Costlow
Editorial staff
AEI editorial staff for the Show Daily
can be reached during show hours at
Booth 1859.
Kevin Jost
Editorial Director
Jean L. Broge
Associate Editor
David Alexander
Associate Editor
Patrick Ponticel
Assistant Editor
Ryan Gehm
Assistant Editor
Jennifer Newton
Assistant Editor
Carey Cyphert
Editorial Assistant
Kami Buchholz
Detroit Editor
Contributing Editors
Terry Costlow
Jenny Hessler
Linda Trego
Wayne Silvonic
Production Manager
Contributing Artists
William L. Schall Jr.
Christian Bonicky
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
3
Powering the future
The dominant power source for at
least the next 10 years remains the
internal combustion engine, but the
reigning technology after that
timeframe is debatable.
Tomorrow’s technology may be
defined by a frantic fuel-cell takeoff.
The solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) being
developed by Delphi may be just
such an application. “By increasing
power, reducing packaging, and
eliminating the battery, SOFC adds
the most near-term value for electric
propulsion,” said Jean Botti, Chief
Technologist at Delphi’s Innovation
Center, during the “Powering The
Future” panel in the AVL Technology
Theater on Monday.
Mike Rosenberg, Director of
Corporate Relations for Ballard
Power Systems, rallied for fuel cells
that use hydrogen “because it’s a
manufactured fuel.” He added that
hydrogen fuel cells are no longer in
the research and development stage
as fleet demonstrations are in
progress. “We think fuel cells are the
ultimate solution,” Rosenberg added.
Powering the Future panelists were
(from left to right) Toyota’s Kazuo
“Joe” Tomita; Ballard’s Mike Rosberg;
GM’s Robert Purcell; DaimlerChrysler’s
Reginald Modlin; Delphi’s Jean Botti;
and moderator Ken Baker of Altarum.
Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs)
are in the power-source mix.
“HEVs will occupy carefully
defined market niches,” said
Reginald Modlin, Director of
Environmental & Energy Planning
for DaimlerChrysler, citing high
fuel economy or performance
enhancers, or a combination of
both reasons, as the primary
appeal factors for such vehicles.
Rather than predict the future,
Robert Purcell, Group Director of
Planning & New Business Development
for GM Powertrain, said
partnering for tomorrow is one
way to address the fundamental
challenges inherent with the
technology adoption. The General
Motors/Ford front-wheel-drive sixspeed
automatic transmission is a
prime example of how partnering
with other companies can prove
out a technology until it’s commercially
viable. Technologies that
become industry standards are not
the “low-volume exclusive
programs,” said Purcell.
According to Purcell, the future
means more industry collaboration
such as the GM Powertrain
Advanced Hybrid System II, which
has accumulated more than one
million miles in a city bus application.
Purcell invited companies to
partner on the system, which “we
intend to be an industry standard.”
In the meantime, today’s
vehicles are a “very, very evolved
product,” said Kazuo “Joe”
Tomita, Senior Vice President of
Technical & Regulatory Affairs for
Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
Tomita’s believes that, in choosing
future powering technologies, a
reality check is necessary. “The
painful reality is that, unless clean
technologies can be sold in
volume, they will do nothing to
improve air quality. A companion
truth is that products must be
profitable or “do-gooders go
bankrupt.”
Kami Buchholz
16 4
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Each day, Show Daily editors highlight some of the top products
and technologies on display at the SAE 2004 World Congress.
Design analysis
SolidWorks Corp. has upgraded its
COSMOS finite-element analysis applications,
COSMOSWorks, COSMOSFloWorks,
and COSMOSMotion, making the suite 10
to 15 times faster than comparable
applications and enabling solvers to use
processor cycles more efficiently. Users
can test assembly behavior without fully
modeling component connectors, such as pins and springs, up front. Analysis
is simplified with the addition of usability features that simulate processes
such as heat regulation using a thermostat with simple menu-driven
commands that replace manual computations. Additional visual and
reporting features enable users to extract more precise results from their
analyses. Improved integration with SolidWorks 3D mechanical design
software enables COSMOS users to analyze designs without re-entering data
and switching between applications.
Booth 2306
Motor generator system
TM4’s motor generator system is an
onboard generator and a powertrain
equipped with an integral differential. The
system uses a magnetic clutch to transform
vehicles into a series hybrid, parallel hybrid,
or an electric vehicle equipped with a range
extender. It also features a smart controller,
an onboard battery charger, and a bi-directional 12-V dc/dc converter
to supply vehicle auxiliaries.
Booth 2653
Simulation environment
Link for ModelSim from The MathWorks
is a direct co-simulation interface that
integrates MATLAB and Simulink systemlevel
design environments into the
hardware design flow for field programmable
gate array and application-specific
integrated circuit development. It provides a link where users can set up an
environment between MATLAB, Simulink, and Mentor Graphic’s HDL
simulator, ModelSim, for bi-directional co-simulation, verification, and
visualization. The link supports PE and SE versions of ModelSim and supports
multiple simultaneous ModelSim instances and multiple HDL entities from
within one Simulink model or MATLAB function.
Booth 2217
CFD design software
Fluent’s FloWizard is computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) software that employs the
use of a wizard to guide users through the
design decision process step-by-step with
basic terminology. It can simulate laminar
or tubular flow, with or without heat
transfer, and features special options such as moving belts and conducting
walls. It is suitable for first-pass analyses early in the product development
cycle and potentially eliminates designs that do not meet basic performance
guidelines early on. All geometry, case, data, and mesh files are fully
compatible. FloWizard automatically detects erroneous or questionable
inputs and outputs and will notify users. In addition, multiple users can view
the same information from different locations.
Booth 1642
Plastic oil module
An oil module with a complete
plastic housing developed by
MANN+HUMMEL GmbH in
cooperation with Audi AG will be
used in the new 2.0-L, four-cylinder,
FSI direct-injection petrol engine of
Volkswagen and Audi. The module
is used to control oil circulation, the
filtration and cooling of the engine
oil, oil pressure control, and
crankcase ventilation. A heat
exchanger flange mounted onto the
module keeps the filtered oil cool,
and capable of lubrication, while the
module relieves the crankcase
ventilation by reducing the oil share
in the blow-by gases with a
labyrinth separator.
Booth 2035
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
5
Inside development of the Ford GT
Ford Motor Co.’s 30-person
engineering team faced an array of
obstacles in designing and
developing the GT supercar, not
the least of which was a deadline
from CEO Bill Ford that the first
three cars needed to be ready in
time for the company’s centennial
in June 2003. The compressed
timeframe drove nearly every other
significant decision regarding the
car. The other primary constraint
was the need to maintain exterior
styling that diverged little from the
2002 concept car, even though the
concept car was drawn with little
consideration of production issues.
Basic problems like providing for
windows that open, and keeping
the car from lifting off of the
ground at high speeds, were at
Ford says the GT’s engine cover contains the single largest section of carbon
fiber in any production car. The composite inner portion is bonded to an
aluminum skin.
odds with the styling as it was
originally created. The extremely
low 44-in (1120-mm) height made
packaging a headache, while the
GT’s iconic roof cut-outs for the
doors undermined stiffness.
Ford and its partners will
provide a comprehensive insidelook
at the car’s development at
1:30 p.m. in the Dana Technical
Innovation Forum. The first job was
to create a plan for exactly how
the company would build the car
in such a short period of time. “We
had 30 days to put together a
complete plan for how we could,
in 15 months, completely develop
the car,” said Fred Goodnow, Ford
GT Design, Engineering and
Launch Manager. “We produced a
half-inch thick binder charting the
timing, the engineering and the
manufacturing of the car. We went
from concept to production in 22
months. A lot of people have tried
to do things faster before without
doing things differently. But when
you do that, you compromise
execution.”
Ford relied heavily on suppliers
to develop the car. “We went with
major suppliers who had experience
with this type of car for the body,
interior, and powertrain,” said
Goodnow. Mayflower Vehicle
Systems, Inc., Ove Arup &
Partners Detroit Ltd., and Saleen
Inc. contribute to the car’s chassis
and body, Lear Corp. provided the
interior, Roush Industries did the
engine design and dyno work, and
Ricardo UK Ltd. helped with the
transaxle. “For a lot of the small bits
on the car, our guys were working
directly with the [smaller] suppliers,”
he said.
Kevin Jost
Publish your book
with SAE
Today from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. during SAE 2004 World
Congress, SAE’s book publishing
staff will be on hand in Room
W1-53 in Cobo Center to speak
with prospective authors about
writing a book with SAE. Please
stop by for more information.
6
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Ansys develops strategic problem solving
According to the company,
high-performance CFD (computational
fluid dynamics) is
achieved in CFX-5, from Ansys,
Inc., by application of a cohesive
strategy in six key technology
areas: meshing, accuracy,
reliability, speed, physics, and
flexibility. Details of how these
features all come together are
available at Booth 846.
The meshing strategy is
flexible, because no single
strategy is ideal for every case.
Four element types—
hexahedral, tetrahedral, wedge
evolved over a 20-year period,
rooted first in CFX-TASCflow and
now in CFX-5. This is the only
linear solver available in the
program. It is fully automatic,
fully scalable (linear increase in
CPU time with problem size), and
insensitive to mesh aspect ratio.
All of this means the user
experiences fewer problems in
getting the desired computation
to run from start to end.
The latest version of CFX-5 will
be released in April, 2004 and
will contain many new features
that build upon high performance.
Turbulence model
control, one-way fluid-structure
interaction, and moving mesh are
just some of the new capabilities.
David Alexander
With CFX-5 from Ansys, Inc., a fully
transient turbulence model can solve
large eddy simulation of flow behind
a cylinder.
or prism, and pyramid—are
available, and from these
building blocks almost any style
of mesh is possible. The
program supplies its own
hybrid meshing technology,
and the result is near-automatic
best-practice CFD meshes that
resolve the geometry and the
boundary layer.
It also supports a large
number of external grid
formats. Combinations of
multiple mesh styles in a single
analysis can be done using the
general grid interface (GGI)
technology in CFX-5, developed
over a 12-year period in CFX-
TASCflow. For example, a hex
mesh created with ICEM Hexa
can be connected to a hybrid
unstructured mesh created with
the mesher.
A CFX-5 simulation involves
the solution of a set of coupled
nonlinear equations. The
nonlinear solution is obtained
by repeatedly updating and
solving a set of linearized
equations. There are many
approaches to achieve reliable
convergence, but the coupledmultigrid
method stands out.
The CFX multigrid-method has
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
See Us at SAE Show Booth #2143
7
Engineers from China tackle hybrids
Although there are some hybridelectric
vehicles on the road today,
the ac technology is being tackled
like there’s no tomorrow.
That is the case even in China,
where the levels of production of
conventional vehicles is booming
and where the latest technologies
are, for the most part, imported. The
world’s most populous country is
trying to get up to speed in terms of
hybrid-electric and other advanced
automotive technology. Participation
in the SAE World Congress is one
way to expedite the process, so it’s
not surprising to see engineers from
China in Cobo Center this week.
There will be a heavy concentration
of Chinese engineers at a
Wednesday technical session on
hybrid powertrains beginning at
9:00 a.m. in Room D3-17/18. One of
the papers at the session, Parametric
Design of a Parallel Hybrid
Powertrain for a Transit Bus, will be
presented by Minghui Liu, of the
Research and Development Center
of FAW (First Auto Works) Corp,
China’s largest car manufacturer.
Co-authoring the paper are two
other Chinese engineers, both from
Jilin University of Technology.
Five of the session’s eight papers are
authored by Chinese engineers.
In his paper, Liu says, “In
concept design and prototype
development of parallel hybrid
power train for transit bus one of
the main concerns is to determine
the appropriate parameters of
power train components. Utilizing
the developed off-line simulation
model of a parallel hybrid
powertrain, the study on the
influence of components’ parameters
on acceleration performance
and fuel economy of a transit bus
is completed."
The “guideline strategies of
parametric design of a parallel
hybrid powertrain for a transit
bus” are brought forward in the
paper: “Given the condition of
propulsion requirement, the
parametric design for this transit
bus are performed targeting
minimizing fuel consumption. It is
the conclusion that the appropriate
components’ parameters determined
by means of parametric
design can make parallel hybrid
transit bus achieve much better
acceleration performance and
much lower fuel equivalent
consumption than that of baseline
transit bus.”
Patrick Ponticel
Focus & select your business sessions...
The AVL Technology Theater at the SAE 2004 exhibition is industry’s
world stage for executive strategy steering the business in a complex
global marketplace.
ZF is taking to the road
At the Transmission & Driveline
Systems Symposium – New
Transmission Systems technical
session yesterday, researchers from
ZF discussed the design of the
company’s CFT30, a continuously
variable transmission (CVT) with a
chain driven variator that will be
used in the 2004 models of the
Ford 500, the Ford Freestyle, and
the Mercury Montego.
ZF’s CFT30 continuously variable
transmission was designed specifically for
six-cylinder automotive applications. It will
soon be on the market in several 2004 Ford
applications.
According to ZF, the CFT30 is
the first CVT that uses a chain drive
in a front-transverse installation
combined with a torque converter
for enhanced launch performance.
The transmission can handle the
310 N•m (230 lb•ft) available with
more recent six-cylinder engines. It
employs fully electronic controls
and can achieve better performance
and fuel economy results
than some recent four-speed
automatic transmissions and
some new six-speed
transmissions in the same
vehicle, claims ZF.
Located on the primary
axis of the CFT30 is the
torque converter, the
radial piston pump, the
planetary gear set for
reverse gear, and the
primary pulley. On the
secondary axis is the
secondary pulley with the
integrated park gear and
the transfer gear. A
transfer axis and a
conventional differential
axis follow. The final drive
can be varied in a range by
using different transfer
gear sets. The design of
the transmission negates
the need for a mechanical
torque sensor or any
mechanical feedback of
the sheave position.
Jean L. Broge
Ford’s Scheele to
keynote at SAE 2004
World Congress
Banquet
Nick Scheele, President and Chief
Operating Officer of Ford Motor
Co., will deliver the keynote speech
at the SAE 2004 World Congress
Annual Banquet: Driven to Dream
on March 11, 2004. The banquet,
which will close the four-day event,
will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the
Renaissance Ballroom at the Marriott
Renaissance Center Hotel in
downtown Detroit.
Since assuming his current
position on October 30, 2001,
Scheele has been responsible for
Ford’s global automotive business.
Prior to his current position, he was
Group Vice President, Ford North
America, a job he assumed in
August 2001.
Scheele also
served as
Chairman, Ford
Europe, from
January 2000
through July
2001, and he
was Chairman
and CEO of
Jaguar Cars Ltd. Nick Scheele
from 1992 to
1999. Under his leadership, Jaguar’s
sales doubled and the company
regained its place as one of the
world’s top marques in brand image,
product quality, and customer
satisfaction.
Scheele’s career at Ford began in
Europe in 1966 where he held
several successive senior purchasing
appointments in Ford’s British and
European operations before moving
to the U.S. in 1978. In 1988, Scheele
became President of Ford of Mexico,
where he directed manufacturing
and marketing operations.
In June 2001, the British Queen
awarded Scheele a knighthood. He
was awarded the Order of St.
Michael and St. George for services
to British exports. He serves on the
Advisory Board for the British
American Chamber of Commerce
and is on the Executive Committee
of the Society of Motor Manufacturers
and Traders.
Tickets for Thursday’s Banquet
can be purchased in Congress
Central.
Stop by the
SAE Bookstore for
your copy of the
Worldwide Automotive
Supplier Directory—
only $179!
8
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Korea Autoparts & Accessories Show scheduled for October 2004
The first International Korea
Autoparts & Accessories (KOAA)
Show organized by S. Trade and
EASTEXPO in cooperation with
SAE will be held in Seoul, Korea, at
the Seoul Trade Exhibition Center
(SETEC) from October 27-29, 2004.
The Ministry of Commerce,
Industry and Energy, and the
Gyeonggi Provencial
Government are also event
sponsors.
Event organizers estimate participation
of more than 300 companies,
and will feature an operational
match-making section for
major purchasers; a technology and
marketing conference; and a cyber
KOAA show for those who are
unable to attend the show in Korea
(visit http://www.koaashow.com).
This new annual event is held in
cooperation with SAE as part of an
Attention Nonmember
Attendees
Enjoy all the technology
of next year’s World
Congress FREE!
MOU (memorandum of understanding)
recently signed by leaders of S.
Trade, SAE, and the Korea Trade
Center encouraging mutual
participation in each others’
exhibitions. SAE will organize
technical or management sessions
for the KOAA Show 2004, and the
society will also have the opportunity
to organize technical training
sessions at the event—all as a part
of the MOU.
S. Trade is a nonprofit Trade
Promotion Foundation specializing
in shows, matchmaking
business between South Korea
and U.S. companies, and international
auto parts.
For more information on the
event, please contact Brian Kim,
Director of S. Trade-Detroit Office, at
briankim@s-trade.org,
248.223.0266, or 248.355.4911.
Jennifer Newton
Did you know that $100 of your
SAE 2004 full-conference registration
fee can be used as payment
for a year’s worth of membership?
That’s a year’s worth of SAE
membership and all the benefits
that it brings—for free! Plus, as a
member, you’ll gain access to all
the technology that is the World
Congress—for free at SAE 2005!
• Do it now
Submit a completed membership
application at the registration
desk when you pay the
non-member registration fee
on site. Member benefits, such
as 20% off SAE Bookstore
purchases, begin immediately!
• Do it later
Pick up an application at the
registration area or download
an application from the SAE
Web site and send the completed
application—with proof
of SAE 2004 registration fee
payment—to SAE World
Headquarters.
Do it…and save!
www.sae.org
SAE International
400 Commonwealth Drive
Warrendale, PA 15096
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
9
PPG pioneers
spray-on bedliner
The first application of PPG’s
Durabed is on a pickup truck bed,
but the protective coating system
might find additional uses.
“We are investigating other
applications for this unique
coating system,” said Dennis
Taljan, Director of Global Technology,
Automotive OEM
Coatings for PPG Industries.
Available as optional equipment
on the Nissan Titan,
Durabed is the result of a more
than one-year development
program. “During that time,
many technical challenges were
successfully resolved to create a
two-component polyurethane
coating that can be applied with
a high-speed process,” according
to Taljan.
The bedliner is applied
robotically after the vehicle leaves
the factory’s paint area. Beds are
removed from the trucks and sent
via conveyor to the bedliner
application area. They are coated
with the material, and then
carried by conveyor back to the
original vehicle before it arrives at
final assembly.
“The bedliner process is
relatively short since no bake time
is involved. The cure is ambient,
and the material is touchable
within minutes,” Taljan explained,
adding, “A significant
challenge was to slow the front
end of the cure process so that
the material would not cure in
the gun, and then hasten the
cure rate toward the end to
provide the desired consistency in
texture and gloss.”
In contrast to drop-in bedliners,
spray-on bedliners create an
airtight seal. “Drop-in bedliners
can move around in the bed and
create noise. This movement can
also result in abrasion and/or
scratching of the paint film. Water
can become trapped between the
drop-in bedliner and the truck
bed. And the combination of
trapped water and scratched
coatings film can lead to corrosion,”
according to Taljan.
Durabed’s surface texture is
accomplished “per customer
specifications via control of the
application process. The material
is applied in two coats. The
second coat is a dust coat that
provides the texture,” Taljan
explained. PPG’s Durabed is not
available in the aftermarket.
“Durabed is formulated for use in
an automotive OEM assembly
plant,” noted Taljan.
Kami Buchholz
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
SAE strengthens OEM coalition for the World
Congress—General Motors, BMW AG, Toyota
to host events from 2005 through 2007
SAE has reached agreements with
the host companies for its 2005
through 2007 SAE World Congress
events. General Motors Corp.
previously agreed to host the SAE
2005 World Congress, while BMW
AG (Bayerische Motoren Werke)
will now host the 2006 World
Congress event, and Toyota
Motor Corp. will host in 2007.
SAE in recent years has sought
to build a strong coalition of OEM
support and international representation
for its flagship event, held
each year at Cobo Center in
Detroit, MI.
General Motors has hosted the
SAE World Congress many times
over its 58-year history. BMW AG
became the first ever Europeanbased
manufacturer to host the
event when it did so in 2000.
Toyota Motor Corp. will become
the first manufacturer with
headquarters in Asia to host when
it takes the reins in 2007.
“Having host company agreements
from such top-notch
companies on three continents this
far in advance is a terrific development
for SAE World Congress.
With Ford’s great support this
year, with Phil Martens’ serving as
General Chairperson, Group Vice
President, Product Creation, Ford
North America, General Motors
hosting the SAE centennial
meeting next year, and then to add
companies the caliber of BMW AG
and Toyota in ’06 and ’07 is a best
case scenario for us” said Dave
Amati, Director of Automotive
Business for SAE. “When we are
able to actively engage companies
like these in a leadership role for
SAE World Congress, we’re finding
the event itself continues to
transform into something very
special,”Amati added.
Jim Queen, Vice President, North
American Engineering for General
Motors Corp., is the General Chair
for the SAE 2005 World Congress.
General chairs have not yet been
announced by BMW AG and Toyota
for the 2006 and 2007 SAE World
Congress events. Below are the
dates for the next three SAE World
Congress events:
• SAE 2005 World Congress –
Sponsored by General Motors
Corp.: April 11-15, 2005
• SAE 2006 World Congress –
Sponsored by BMW AG: April 3 -
7, 2006
• SAE 2007 World Congress –
Sponsored by Toyota Motor
Corp.: April 16-20, 2007
All SAE World Congress events
will be held at Cobo Center in
downtown Detroit, MI.
High-resolution camera
Flir Systems’ thermovision A40V is a solution for industrial product and
process monitoring as well as security applications. The camera features highresolution
IR imaging; multiple connectivity interfaces; a maintenance-free,
longwave microbolometer detector, standard Ethernet connection; real-time
14-bit digital video output; plug-and-play setup; and multiple independent
target spots and alarms selected from menu-driven configuration controls.
The camera’s onboard software and electronics can discriminate temperature
variations as small as 0.8°C (33°F). The A40V was designed to operate
unattended for long periods in harsh industrial environments.
Booth 1429
Microscopy camera
Developed through collaboration with the
National Institute of Advanced Science
and Technology, the FocusScope from
Photron is a microscopy camera system
that significantly increases the depth of
focus displayed. Via a high-speed sensor
and extremely high-speed image
processing techniques, the FocusScope
has increased the depth compared to a
traditional system up to one hundred microns. A piezoelectric actuator
physically moves the objective lens full-scale at a rate of thirty times per
second while the camera records at 1000 frames per second resulting in
approximately thirty frames per second, each with a different focal point. In
real time the camera processor analyzes each of the frames to find those
sharply focused pixels and then integrates those pixels, along with the other
29 for that second, into a single “all-in-focus” image for display and
recording. Through adoption of Gauss’ law, the system produces the relevant
three-dimensional (X, Y, and Z) topographical image data, along with
imagery with a much greater field of focus than is available through conventional
microscope-mounted cameras, and all in real time. It features a C-
mount lens mount that can mount on practically any microscope to produce
512 by 512 pixel resolution imagery. All-in-Focus and Depth Image data are
output via BNC cables, while a three-meter CameraLink cable is used for the
digital output connection between the camera and Digital Interface Unit.
Booth 426
11
The SAE 2004 World Congress provides industry suppliers the opportunity to showcase
their products, services, and technologies to the global automotive community. Show
Daily editors review what some exhibiting companies are displaying this year.
Marking system
EFD, Inc.’s MicroMark precision-spray
marking system produces consistent spots
and stripes from 5 to 30 mm (0.2 to 1.2 in)
wide. It reduces downtime on automated
and semi-automated production lines.
Typical applications include color-coding to
differentiate between similar components,
pass-fail status indication, and designation as
to whether a process has been performed. A
precision-spray valve and low-volume lowpressure
air are used to make the uniform
spots and stripes without mist. A high-transfer efficiency and quick cutoff
improve part appearance and cleanliness, while a short microburst of air
after each shot keeps the nozzle from clogging and reduces maintenance.
A microprocessor-based controller simplifies system setup and operation
and can be interfaced with a programmable logic controller.
Booth 1245
Scanning technique
X-ray Computed
Tomography (X-ray
CT) from Hitachi is
an X-ray scanning
technique that
performs dimensional
verifications,
density analysis, and integrity analysis of assemblies. The technique is
suitable for reverse engineering components and for the non-destructive
testing of components to improve quality and accelerate the engineering
process, thus reducing component development time and decreasing
costs. The technology includes StereoCooker software for CT dimensional
analysis and FeatureMaker to convert CT data to CAD data. Typical
automotive applications for the program include cylinder blocks, heads,
transmissions, and other powertrain components. X-ray CT technology is
applicable for materials such as aluminum, steel, plastics, and composites;
trial scans are available.
Booth 351
Test calibration
MTS Systems Corp. offers the
computer-aided engineering
(CAE) Calibrator software
product for their NASTRAN users
that leverages test and other
external data to interactively
compare, correlate, calibrate,
and automatically update CAE
models for structural dynamics.
The software ensures that a CAE
model’s performance matches
test data, other CAE models, and user-entered design targets. Beta testing
of CAE Calibrator confirms it updates models instantaneously, eliminating
the manual effort that is often required to implement design changes in
real models. Automated and interactive studies or iterations on potential
changes are also accomplished more quickly. The software will synchronize
orientation, scaling, and results and will update designs in the NASTRAN
input deck automatically.
Booth 621
Keypad technology
GM Nameplate offers an electroluminescent
(EL) keypad technology that integrates
EL lighting with elastomers to create highly
functional, lightweight, switch units that
use fewer components than conventional
keypads with light pipes or light dams and
mechanical switches. The keypads operate
at temperature ranges from -30 to +80°C (-
22 to +176°F) with a voltage range of 20-
200 V ac and a frequency of 50-3000 Hz.
Advantages include no light pipes to design
or mold, a 0.012-in (0.3-mm) flexible light
source, reduced power consumption, sealed top-surface, laser-etched
graphics, variable tactile response from the dual-layer elastomer
construction, and different day and night graphic colors.
Booth 1152
Test rig
A test rig from Aries Ingenieria Y
Sistemas, S.A. complies with
existing test protocols as well as
the new head-restraint testing
protocol proposed by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The system is based on
electrical actuators and includes a
complete control system to
program force-loading profiles. Its
features include a high-precision
laser adjustment system, a
compact heavy-duty mechanical
design, and many possibilities of
test configuration, including open
code for the user.
Booth 432
Casting impregnation
The continuous flow impregnation
system from Godfrey & Wing
fulfills the need for direct-coupled
casting impregnation within
automotive manufacturing
facilities. It is based on a dry
vacuum- and pressure-process
where vacuum cycles work on the
part, not the air surrounding the
part, and resin is maintained in its
purest form, not entrained with air
or water. The part experiences a
significant positive pressure, and
recovery and conservation of resin
is used in lieu of recycling. Resin is
prevented from entering the
plant’s waste stream through
efficient recovery, negating the
need for additional equipment and
chemicals to process specialty
resins. Through automated,
repeatable handling, the system
processes the most complicated,
highly machined parts without the
risk of damage or contamination.
Booth 2652
12
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Polyethylene resins
Raprex resins from Ion Beam
Applications (IBA) and its
subsidiary IBA Advanced Applications
provide improved physical
properties without the use of
chemical cross-linking agents. Use
of the resins precludes the need for
chemical additives. The crosslinking
is achieved before forming
the finished parts through radiation
processing of the base
polyethylene resin. The resins are
available in three grades: extrusion
grade raprex 200 for pipe, tubing,
containers, and profiles; injection
molding grade raprex 200 for tote
bins, pump housings, industrial
clamps, and luggage handles; and
film grade raprex 300 for steel pipe
sleeves, and timber pole sleeves.
Booth 1712
Refrigeration systems
Cryogenic industrial freezers from
Russells Technical Products Inc. are
capable of maintaining temperatures
as low as -120°F (-85°C). The
company's expanded product line
includes heavy-duty industrial freezers
for the heat-treat industry. Standard
sizes range from 15 ft 3 to 60 ft 3 (0.42
m 3 to 1.7 m 3 ) in chest-type and frontopening
configurations. Load
capacities range from 100 lb to 2000
lb (45 kg to 900 kg) and up. Options include microprocessor programming,
cycle timers, Nema 12 electrical, and disconnects.
Booth 744
Metering pumps
Metering pumps from Thomas
Magnete allow for high meteringprecision
with an exactly defined
swept volume and minimum noise.
The solenoid armature in the
pumps is simultaneously the pump
plunger. With no electrical current, all cavities are filled with fuel. When
current is fed to the coil, the armature displaces the piston against a
spring. The pump plunger raises a valve ball and expels the medium from
the pump while closing the supply apertures. When the current is
switched off, the spring presses the armature and piston back. This
induces a sub-atmospheric pressure in the pump space, and the fuel
enters through the reopened supply apertures.
Booth 2041
Snap rings
Smalley Steel Ring Co.’s
snap rings are made by coiling
flat wire, producing a snap
ring that has no protruding
ears or burrs to interfere with
performance. The rings are
stocked in carbon steel with
diameters ranging from 0.5 in
to 11 in (13 mm to 279 mm).
Special designs are available
and can be economically produced in stainless steel because coiling
produces no scrap. The rings can withstand high loads and impact
loading.
Booth 1653
Isolation systems
AirLock enclosure systems
from Simplex Isolation
Systems are modular
cleanrooms used for paint
lines, transmission and engine
assembly areas, and manufacturing
and assembly of
electronic controls and dash
components. They provide
contamination control, and
are available for use as modular dividers. Both soft-wall and hard-wall
models are offered, and each can be latched together depending on
intended use.
Booth 654
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
13
Pneumatic tools
BAND-IT pneumatic tools from
Idex Corp. provide a fast, highspeed,
uniform application of
stainless steel ties and clamps
with extended service life and
low maintenance. Features
include heavy-duty cut-off and
tensioning components, a long-life valving system, easy access to
maintenance components, and low-line pressure requirements.
Booth 1730
14
Lightweight CVJ
High-precision CVJ components
from IFA Maschinenbau GmbH
feature an eight-ball design for
reduced weight, lower centrifugal
forces within the CVJ and shaft,
reduced friction and vibrations,
and steady running. Centering by
the plug-in connection provides
axial separation from vibrations
caused by engine, gear, and
differential; and reduction of
assembly effort and time. Components
include the IHF-IFA High
Speed Fix Joint and the IHP-IFA
High Speed Plunge Joint.
Booth 2335
Rapid prototyping
The FDM vantage rapid
prototyping system from Stratasys
Inc. allows the use of hightemperature,
high-performance
engineering thermoplastics. The
system comes standard with ABS
and polycarbonate thermoplastic
modeling materials. The polycarbonate
offers high tensile-strength
and flex-strength, a hardness
exceeding ABS, a high heatdistortion
temperature, dimensional
stability, and durability
sufficient for rapid manufacturing
applications. The system comes
with the firm’s WaterWorks watersoluble
supports for ABS modeling,
which allows users to dissolve
model-support material rather than
remove it by hand.
Booth 737
System engineering
Imagine Software Inc.’s
AMESim fluid power
engineering and simulation
software is a complete
system-engineering platform
that allows the engineer to
model complex multidomain
systems, run
simulations, and perform indepth
analysis. The package
includes 19 libraries and an increasing number of interfaces to packages
such as MATLAB/SimuLink and ADAMS. New libraries are incorporated
for air conditioning, two-phase flow, and planar mechanical. The air
conditioning library provides steady-state and transient simulation,
multiple refrigeration components, predictive modeling, and geometric
editing. The two-phase flow enables steady-state and transient simulation,
multi-fluid functionality, complex design capability, and time and
frequency domain analysis. The planar mechanical library is for mobile
hydraulic applications.
Booth 2052
Design and simulation software
Version 6.1 from
Integrated Engineering
Software is a 2-
dimensional/rotationally
symmetric design and
simulation software
package that includes
magnetostatics, electrostatics,
and eddy currents. It features the hybrid BE-FE method that
combines the strengths of both the boundary-element method (BEF)
and the finite-element method (FEM). Users can choose which solver
best suits their application. The BEM handles open-region problems
more effectively, allowing accurate field calculations, and requires a
small amount of data to be stored for each solution. The FEM addresses
non-linear problems, and the solution time is quick if the calculation
region is small.
Booth 1275
Non-contact measurement device
FARO Technologies’ FARO ScanArm
is a seven-axis contact/non-contact
measurement device with a fully
integrated laser scanner. Users can
collect simple-point variations with the
arm’s hard probe at a rate of more
than 13,000 points per second, and
then laser-scan the sections requiring
larger volumes of data. The ScanArm
has a feature that samples an object’s surface and adjusts the scanner’s
settings to ensure optimal scanning. It can be used for such non-contact
measurement applications as inspection, cloud-to-CAD comparison,
rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, and 3-D modeling.
Booth 1301
Eddy current instrument
Zetec, Inc.’s InSite-HT eddy current instrument
verifies proper hardness, case depth,
and material mix at production line speeds.
The system features intuitive controls, menudriven
display, built-in language selection,
and automatic voltage switching. The system
can be used for basic bench-top or complex
multi-station inline inspection, and reliably sorts parts with single- or
multiple-defects at high sample rates. It is available in 2-, 4-, and 8-coil
versions and operates in 32°F to 113°F (0°C to 45°C).
Booth 864
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Headlamp adhesive
ADCO Products, Inc.’s Köramelt 107 is a hot-melt moisture-cure
headlamp adhesive that features a wider adhesion spectrum, higher
strength values, and lower application temperatures. Köramelt 107
offers rapid green strength development that enables users to remove
work-in-process capital and free up plant space. The product is offered
in cartridges, pails, or drums and is easily applied using a variety of
processing equipment.
Booth 1535
Dispensing system
The Ultra TT Automation Series
from EFD is a convenient automated
tabletop assembly process
that combines accurate programming
with closed-loop dc servo
control and powerful drive motors
for fast, precise positioning of the
dispensing tip. Benefits include
improved productivity, process
consistency, and less scrap and
rework. Benchtop bonding, gasketing, and filling operations can all be
programmed using a Palm handheld. Graphic user interface software
provides improved control of positioning and dispensing parameters. The
systems are offered with either 325 x 325 mm (13 x 13 in) or 525 x 525
mm (21 x 21 in) work envelopes and are fully compatible with a wide
range of dispensing valves and syringe reservoirs.
Booth 1245
Software infrastructure
Decomsys and 3Soft offer TimeCore, a standard software module that
features a comprehensive set of building blocks for the construction of a
software infrastructure in embedded real-time systems that demand faulttolerance
and a synchronous time-driven approach. TimeCore can be
incorporated in third party design processes and will streamline the
development process to reduce costs, according to the companies. A
getting-started-guide minimizes the learning effort and decreases
common mistakes, while standardized software components increase the
overall test coverage of the application.
Booth 1327
CAN card
The PXI 3051 is a CAN card from
Göpel Electronics that offers
additional functions over its
predecessor, the PXI 3050. The PXI
3051 does not require special
plugs because a 25-pole connector
sends and receives all signals. Two
ports on the basis board and two
on the PXI card realize the higher
hardware performance. Each
channel is a 32-bit CAN controller
so the card can be used with
improved efficiency. An input and
output line is available for each
port, allowing trigger functions to
be called on the unit under test or
enabling further measurement
instrumentation. The trigger line
also can be used via the PXI bus.
The PXI 3051 features onboard
tools such as network management,
while its software offers
extended ramp functions for the
output of messages.
Booth 2401
CFD software
Pointwise, Inc.’s Gridgen Version
15 is meshing and pre-processing
software for computation fluid
dynamics (CFD). Features of this
version include minimizing a user’s
interaction with large and
complex meshes, Native CAD
readers, and improved solver
interfaces. Tools include a CADstyle
layer manager, pick masks,
and grid groups. Re-extrusion, a
new tool for continuing the
extrusion process for a mesh,
includes complete recall of all
attributes and has the ability to
backup the extrusion as well as
continuing forward. A qualitybased
smoothing technique
increases the number of extrusion
steps by a factor of two and the
extrusion distance by a factor of
three or four.
Booth 1016
Light modeling
The CATIA V5-integrated SPEOS
software from OPTIS unites optics and
CAD, allowing users to simulate
photometric and colorimetric characteristics
while the visual ergonomics
application simulates and analyzes the
interaction between the part and its
lighting environment. The product
appeals to designers and integrators of
dashboards, exterior lighting, car interiors, switches and controls,
electronics systems, and LCD displays because it allows them to work on
the lighting and optics while remaining in the CATIA V5 environment.
Booth 2712
Steel products
Topia Corp.’s products are
made of high-tension steel.
Exhibited is a steering hanger,
which shows the extremely
short lead time for product
delivery. The firm can manufacture
the component in only 20 days—from receiving design data until the
product is ready for shipment.
Booth 556
Catalytic converter material
Unifrax Corp. has combined its
magnesia-silicate Isofrax 1260°C
(2300°F) fiber with an advanced
paper-manufacturing process to
maximize the performance of its
IsoMat AV catalytic converter support
mat. IsoMat AV offers thermal stability
with a continuous use temperature of
700°C (1290°F), and is engineered to meet the performance requirements
associated with typical catalytic converter applications.
Booth 1013
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
15
Rubber lubricant gel
P-80 THIX from International Products Corp., is now offered in a
smaller, 200-ml (7-oz) container. P-80 THIX is a thixotropic gel designed
to lubricate rubber parts, and has a flip-top lid, making use simpler in
some assembly and manufacturing tasks. The gel formula is useful when
parts are in an overhead assembly line, or aligned vertically to the floor.
The new smaller size can be applied directly from the bottle.
Booth 1652
Multilayer film
Senotop is a multilayer film from Senoplast
with a base layer of styrol-acrylinitril with acrylic
modified rubber (ASA), and polycarbonate (PC)
blend and a UV-stable co-extruded top layer in
solid and metallic colors. The carrier blend
material combines the processability and UV
resistance of ASA with the advantages of PC,
including stiffness at high temperature and
strong impact behavior. The top layer offers
improved surface finish with high gloss, chemical resistance, and resistance
to scratch and wear. The Senotop film surface displays equal performance
when compared to automotive standard paints. It is thermoformed on
vacuum-forming machines and is trimmed and reinforced by injection
molding with thermoplastic, with or without glass filling, or by polyurethanefoam
technologies. Senotop is suitable for vehicle roofs, interior parts, wind
deflectors, mudguards, and bumpers.
Booth 1327
Simulation software
Ansoft’s ePhysics allows users to couple thermal and
stress simulation to the electromagnetic solution generated
by Maxwell 3D and HFSS and is offered as an add-on
to these products. A multiple analysis environment created
for the electrical engineer, ePhysics performs a complete
virtual simulation of a design. Its thermal feature provides
a steady-state thermal and transient analysis capability,
including convection and radiation and one-way coupling
between ac magnetic and thermal, while a static stress
capability offers one-way coupling between electrostatic,
magnetostatic, ac, and thermal solvers.
Booth 2214
Circuit chip
AdvanTech International offers
the Tamagawa Seiki Smartcoder
AU6802N1 resolver-to-digital
integrated circuit (IC) chip. Both the
Smartcoder IC and the Singlsyn
variable-reluctance resolver were
developed for automotive applications
that require absolute position
and speed sensing and/or operate
in severe environmental conditions,
including steering angle, throttle
position, automatic clutch, suspension,
pedal position, and x-by-wire
sensor vehicle applications. The IC
chip was designed to facilitate
acceleration at both the high and
low speed electric motor/generator
applications inherent in hybrid
vehicle powertrains. Features
include a compact size of 10 x 10
mm (0.4 x 0.4 in) and an operating
temperature range of -40 to
+125°C (-40 to +257°F).
Booth 1735
High-speed camera
The FASTCAM-X 512 PCI from
Photron USA provides high-speed
imaging capabilities as fast as
32,000 frames/s with a maximum
achievable resolution of 512 x 512
pixels at speeds up to 2000
frames/s. The 512 PCI is available
in both 30-bit color and 10-bit
monochrome configurations and in
two models: 2000 and 32,000
frames/s. Two memory sizes are
offered with 1.3 gigabytes as
standard, providing capacity for
more than 4000 full-resolution
images. An available PCI expansion
system allows the PCI card to be
placed in a cradle for easy connection
to a laptop computer. The
camera is designed to run under
Windows NT 4.0, 2000, and XP.
Booth 426
Environmental testing
Temptronic Corp.’s TP04300B ThermoStream
and interchangeable ThermoChamber compact
environmental test chamber offer fast temperature
cycling, thermal shock testing, and environmental
testing of electronic control units, sensors, critical
electronics, printed circuit boards, and other assemblies
at -80 to +225°C (-112 to +437°F). The
portable, modular system can be used at the
benchtop, design lab, or production station, offering
a cost- and time-efficient alternative to large
chambers or ovens. Features include finer temperature
control directly at the sensor, configuration for testing different sensors
or assemblies, and portability for sharing among multiple users. The test
chamber offers a touchscreen including graphing and datalogging capabilities.
ThermoStream can be directly connected to a user’s application via a
flexible extender thermal air hose that reaches up to 6 ft (1.8 m) or with a
compact ThermoChamber attached directly to the ThermoStream base.
Booth 848
Imaging system
Redlake has added the HG-LE high-speed
digital camera to its MotionXtra family of
imaging systems. Built on the technology of
the HG-100K, the HG-LE offers a highquality,
mid-performance solution featuring
a fast frame rate of 1500 frames/s at 752 x
752 resolution. Two tiers of performance are
offered, and a 5-ms electronic shutter eliminates motion blur during the
recording of very-high-speed events. The self-contained HG-LE’s rugged
design enables it to withstand forces up to 100 g in any axis, making it
suitable for automotive crash, airbag deployment, and component safety
testing. Two basic models allow customers to choose either color or
monochrome according to application needs.
Booth 622
16
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
INTEGRATION...Continued from Page 1
of engineering and purchasing departments, which in the past have
had a reputation of working against each other more than with
each other.
“Today, engineering and purchasing are more closely interfacing
with each other as well as suppliers to benefit all,” he said. “Our
engineers have come to understand that purchasing is an enabler, not
an obstacle, in vehicle development. And, conversely, purchasing has a
much greater understanding of the engineering processes required to
create great cars and trucks.”
No matter on what level technological integration occurs, internally
or externally, it ultimately comes down to each individual person to
make it succeed throughout all the levels. “[GM] challenges its engineers
daily to develop innovative function engineering solutions that
improve people’s lives,” said Queen. “The most advanced technologies
in the world can result in customer dissatisfaction if they aren’t properly
integrated and user-friendly.”
In the long run, “the integration of functional technology will be the
key performance differentiator between companies that lead and those
that fall by the wayside,” said Queen.
Jean L. Broge
Owens Corning sounds the right notes on muffler filler
The use of absorptive mufflers is
growing in North America, much
to the delight of Owens Corning
(Booth 2561). The company is a
major supplier of glass-fiber
filler for the application. Nissan
is using it on its new Titan pickup
truck.
The path of exhaust pipes through the
muffler determines the level and type
of sound attenuation achieved in
reflective type mufflers (left side),
while glass fiber does the job in
absorptive types (right side).
There is no filler in reflective
types, sound attenuation/
modification being achieved via
the geometry of the exhaust pipe
circuit through the muffler body.
Reflective-type mufflers
generally run hotter than absorptive
types, meaning heat shields
are necessary in more cases with
the former, Hires said. Another
advantage of absorptive types is
that they are better able to deal
with the wider range of high
frequencies produced by vehicles
using displacement-on-demand
engine technology, he added.
Patrick Ponticel
INDUSTRY...Continued from Page 1
attribute for 3%. He said an effective way to convince drivers that
new technologies “know” better than do humans what steps should
be taken in crash situations is to set up a rating program for the
technologies. It could be similar to, or part of, NHTSA’s New Car
Assessment Program in which the agency rates vehicles for their
ability to protect passengers in frontal impacts, side impacts, and
rollovers. A new rating program could also be established to assess
various active-safety systems.
Ford Vice President of Environmental and Safety Engineering
Susan Cischke said a key to successful integration of new active
safety technologies into vehicles is making sure they are not too
difficult for drivers to understand and take advantage of.
Denso (Booth 1716) is concentrating on the sensor technologies
behind new active safety systems. For frontal collision avoidance, it is
developing radar, millimeter-wave, and optical sensing systems, said
Hiroshi Fujinami, a member of the Board at Denso and General
Manager of the company’s Safety and Chassis Systems Product Division.
Patrick Ponticel
CHASSIS...Continued from Page 3
avoiding crashes, Ziebart added, and suppliers and vehicle manufacturers
need to provide consumers with information about these advances.
Continental has been working to demonstrate the safety potential of
networking passive and active vehicle systems. Its “30-meter car” is
comprised of such components and systems as linked tires, air springs,
variable dampers, and electrohydraulic brakes to form an optimized overall
system that allows stopping distance from a speed of 100 km/h (62 mph)
to be cut from 39 to 30 m (128 to 98 ft).
The company’s goal is the total integration of key safety components.
Its latest ESC-based project, called the Active Passive Integration Approach
(APIA), links existing systems such as ABS, ESC, airbag control, and
adaptive cruise into one network, with other active and passive safety
components to be added later. The key APIA component is additional
software in the brake ECU that detects traffic hazards, determines the
probability of an accident, and initiates a staged response to protect
occupants and other road users if necessary.
The next stage in ESC development will be to include “electric steer
assisted steering” driven conventionally by a hydraulic pump, with an
epicyclical gear unit powered by an electric motor. ESC can be augmented
in the APIA by active rollover protection, which rapidly applies the brakes
with a high burst of pressure to the appropriate wheels to interrupt the
rollover before it occurs. Advanced pre-crash sensors will play a key role in
detecting crash events before they occur and preparing safety systems for
optimal response. Lane-keeping support will be enabled by cameras that
detect unintentional deviation from a lane by warning the driver via
vibrations in the steering wheel.
Kevin Jost
Wednesday, March 10, 2004
The transition from reflective
mufflers to absorptive ones in
Europe began about 20 years ago
and today about 60% of mufflers
sold there are of the absorptive
type. The percentage in North
America is only about 10% since
the market experience with glass
packs from years ago was a
negative one, with the fiber often
being blown out. That is not an
issue with Owens Corning’s
Silentex product, which is a
continuous strip, said Howard
Hires, Business Manager for
Owens Corning North America.
SOFTWARE...Continued from
Page 1
generation,” said Jason Fortier,
Global Vice President of Embedded
Control Tools at ETAS.
Hanselmann echoed that view by
saying, “Code generation will not
be a push-button technology.”
One thing that will help
software regardless of how it is
created is to reduce the complexity
of writing unique code for each
platform. “Standardization and
reuse are absolutely key, but that’s
easy to say and difficult to do,”
said Robert LeFort, the panel
moderator from Infineon Automotive
and Industrial.
Modeling is among the other
development issues that will
change the way vehicles and
subsystems are designed in the
future. It will change the process
because errors and problems can
be found early in the process, but
the payoff can be worthwhile.
“Modeling can lengthen design
time, but it shortens overall time to
production,” said Jack Little, CEO
at The MathWorks.
Terry Costlow
17
Removing hexavalent chromium
Henkel Technologies’ (Booth 927) Alodine 4595 is a chrome-free
aluminum wheel pretreatment that offers enhanced corrosion protection
and paint adhesion, as well as eliminates legacy cost, according to the
company. Made from a blend of organic polymers and inorganic metals,
Alodine 4595 does not require additional manufacturing process steps,
such as extra rinse and pretreatment stages. The technology was implemented
in December 2003 by one of Henkel’s wheel-manufacturing
customers, with four additional customers expected to begin using it by
the end of this year.
Jean L. Broge
Dura gives windows a lift
At a press conference on
Tuesday, Larry Denton,
President and CEO of Dura
Automotive Systems, Inc.,
outlined his plans for the
future. One key aspect of his
strategy was investment in
new technology. Some of
Dura’s ideas are on display in
Technology Salon A.
An example of alternative
thinking is a new window-lift
system that offers OEMs a
lightweight alternative to
traditional window regulators.
Made from a lightweight, selflubricating,
proprietary, highstrength
polyamide material,
Performance engineering for all
The UK Trade & Investmentsponsored
Performance Engineering
Pavilion, located at the center of the
show floor, made its SAE World
Congress debut on Monday. “This
year you will see a theme throughout
the show: performance engineering,”
said Robert Chalker,
Director of Sales and Marketing for
SAE. “We believe hard-core, cuttingedge
engineering is often initiated in
the performance sector of our
business,” continued Chalker, and
from there it “trickles down” into
more mainstream passenger
vehicles.
According to Jeremy Burne,
Automotive Sector Specialist for
UK Trade & Investment (Booth
2042), the organization was
interested in sponsoring such a
pavilion because the UK has a
successful history in motorsports
and performance engineering. The
pavilion hosts a number of UK
companies, including Cosworth
Technology (Booth 1947),
Prodrive (Booth 1946), and Lotus
Engineering (Booth 1933).
The UK has “a tradition of
supporting independent design
and engineering firms that provide
The RackLift power window regulator from
Dura Automotive Systems eliminates most of
the traditional mechanism to free up space
inside the door cavity.
Dura’s RackLift system is fully recyclable and provides a 10 to 14 lb (4.5 to
6.5 kg) mass savings when installed on a four-door vehicle. Its electromechanical
lift mechanism uses a dual rack-and-pinion configuration that
eliminates unwanted horizontal side forces as well as the need for overpowered
motors that are prevalent in current automotive window systems.
The window-lift systems are engineered to be applicable for OEM
factory installation or as an integral part of a complete door module.
In addition to the dual-rail rack with an attached base housing, RackLift
consists of a high-efficiency and lightweight drive motor, drive gear, slave
gear, and appropriate glass-attachment device, such as glass clamps. The
base-motor-gear assembly drives the glass up and down the all-plastic rack.
RackLift is compatible with one-touch-up and express-down, and
incorporates anti-pinch safety technology. Other advantages of the technology,
according to Dura, are reduced travel time, fewer components, noise
reduction, and simplified installation.
A major OEM will feature RackLift in a MY2005 vehicle.
David Alexander
engineering [expertise] to vehicle
manufacturers,” said Burne. “It’s
not just about making fast cars; it’s
about…the business processes and
specialized knowledge, the ability
to solve problems quickly, and the
ability to tackle [unique] projects.”
Burne believes that independent
design and engineering firms will
be used for more projects in the
near future as automakers continue
to move into low-volume,
niche markets. One of the main
reasons for this trend, he noted, is
that performance companies tend
to be “smaller, more flexible, and
faster working” than traditional
Tier 1 and 2 suppliers.
“There’s a pool of resources and
knowledge that is performance
engineering, and you can apply it to
whatever you want,” said Burne.
Vehicles such as BMW’s Mini and
some of Chevrolet’s small passenger
cars make use of performanceengineering
principles, he said, as
do Chrysler Group vehicles
powered by the Hemi engine,
noting that Ricardo (Booth 2222)
was involved with the design of the
V8 as part of an extended team.
Ryan Gehm
Exhibit Directory
Addendum
The following is a Directory update
as of March 9, 2004.
NuForm Rolling Corp.
315 Nantucket Blvd.
Scarborough, Ontario M1P 2P2
Canada
www.nuformrollingcorp.com
Booth 1315
Nuform roll forms parts for the entire vehicle such as seat
track, window regulators, crash beams, chassis and door
beams. Using strict tolerances, hot rolled, cold rolled, HSLA
and Martinsite material. Nuform has a proven track record
with leading Tier 1 companies and manufactures over 10
million parts a year.
Ove Arup & Partners Detroit Ltd.
1625 West Big Beaver Rd., Suite C
Troy, Michigan 48084 United States
www.arup.com
Booth 1945
Arup Vehicle Design Group provides vehicle styling,
structural analysis, manufacturing analysis, software and
methods development services to the world automotive
industry from engineering centres in the UK, Detroit and
Tokyo. Services provided range from concept design and
development studies through to structural and production
feasibility assessments.
Safety trails cost
atop DuPont/SAE
survey
Thirty-three percent of respondents
to the 10th annual DuPont
Automotive/SAE Survey said only
cost is of more concern than safety
in the design of next-generation
vehicles. Surveyed were
preregistrants for the SAE 2004
World Congress. Ranking behind
cost and safety (13%) were
alternative powertrains (12%) and
fuel economy (12%).
Respondents also indicated that
they believe safety is the vehicle
feature that consumers most want
to see improved. Sixty-six percent of
respondents said safety is among the
top-five consumer concerns; while
47% believe vehicle performance is
a top-five concern. Next came
entertainment technology (37%),
fuel-efficient vehicles (16%), and
cleaner powertrains (25%).
At a Tuesday morning press
conference, Diane Gulyas, Group
Vice President of DuPont Electronic
and Communication Technologies,
briefly reviewed the survey and
spoke about how her company is an
enabler of safety through its ceramic
substrate and other technologies.
She said her division is growing more
than any other DuPont Automotive
unit as electronic safety-related
content in vehicles climbs steeply
and steadily. Gulyas cited a Strategy
Analytics Inc. study to show that
there will be more demand for safety
than for any other vehicle system.
DuPont is showing some of its
safety-related technologies in Booth
1643. Blind-spot detection is an area
of concentration for the company,
and headup and occupant-sensing
technologies are among others
being studied intently at DuPont.
Patrick Ponticel
18
Wednesday, March 10, 2004