Energy technology: a new business area - Scherdel GmbH

PRODUCTION
Spiral springs, a contribution
to environmental protection
SCHERDEL improving product capacities
thanks to spiral spring production in Anqing
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING – LOCATIONS – TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – NEWS AND INFORMATION
6
Contact data
Anqing Scherdel Automotive
Parts Co., Ltd.
District 24, 3.9 square kilometres
Industrial Park,
Anqing Economic and
Technology Development
Zone
246005 Anqing, An Hui
Province
P. R. China
Tel.: +86 556 530 59 89
Fax: +86 556 530 59 90
Email:
info@asp.scherdel.com
Preparations for the start of production:
Chinese colleagues from
Anqing receiving intensive training
in Seifhennersdorf.
S
CHERDEL spiral springs used in
systems for camshaft adjustment
significantly contribute to environmental
protection by reducing engine fuel consumption.
They also help to minimise
pollutant emissions and offset the negative
effects of climate change. Driven
by innovative thinking, SCHERDEL
developed a new technology for spiral
spring production as early as the
1990s.
In cooperation with customers from
the automotive industry and with the
help of the in-house SCHERDEL Research
and Development Department,
application technology engineers at the
production facility have been able to
perfect materials and production
processes over the years. In addition to
process optimisation, the skills of the
Groupʼs Mechanical Engineering Division
play a decisive role. The manufacturing
systems developed and constructed
by the SCHERDEL subsidiaries
AFEMA GmbH and Perfektion
GmbH provide an important cornerstone
for spiral spring production.
Today, the increasingly popular spiral
springs for camshaft adjustment are not
only produced in Seifhennersdorf, but
also at SCHERDEL Sales & Technology
(SST) in Muskegon, Michigan, and
in the near future at SCHERDELʼs
Chinese location in Anqing.
The spiral springs have the task of
moving the camshaft adjuster to its
ʻearly positionʼ when switching off the
engine. Since the oil pressure in a
turned-off engine drops rapidly, this required
adjustment process cannot be
realised without springs. If the camshaft
is positioned correctly, the engine can
achieve the best start behaviour with
the lowest possible pollutant emissions.
Furthermore, the spiral spring ensures
that adjustment speeds are increased
when adjusting from ʻlateʼ to ʻearlyʼ
during operation. Therefore, the spiral
spring helps compensate the frictional
torque of the camshaft, resulting in reduced
fuel consumption and less pollutant
emissions.
The triumphant success of this environmentally
friendly ʻspiral spring for
camshaft adjustersʼ commenced in
Seifhennersdorf in 2002. Since a fundamental
part of SCHERDELʼs philosophy
is to ensure a strong local presence for
its customers, we set-up spiral spring
production at our ʻsister plantʼ in
Muskegon, Michigan, in the autumn of
2006.
By 2008, the production capacities
in Muskegon had to be expanded in
order to support the huge demand. The
second expansion phase occurred this
summer. The larger facility provides increased
space for the latest generation
of spiral spring production machines.
Preparations for the start of spiral
spring production at the Anqing plant in
China are currently in full swing. The
required production equipment will
make its way to the country with the
fastest economic growth rate this autumn.
By the end of the year, the pioneering
ʻspiral spring for camshaft adjustersʼ
will be manufactured at three
Group locations around the world.
(me/dk)