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It is rare for a single technology to have the power to dramatically influence almost every major industry in the world. Nanotechnology falls into this category and offers fundamentally new capabilities to architect a broad array of novel materials, composites and structures on a molecular scale. This technology has the potential to drastically re-define the methods used for developing lighter, stronger, and high-performance structures and processes with unique and non-traditional properties. This paper focuses on some of the automotive applications for nanotechnology and showcases a few of them that are believed to have the highest probability of success in this highly competitive industry. No discussion of nanotechnology is complete without touching upon its health and environmental implications.

TPO is getting wider acceptance for automotive applications. An exterior application like a fascia is a very good example. Interiors are still a challenge due to many reasons including overall system cost. For interior applications, “all-olefin” means it mainly consists of three materials: TPO skin, cross-linked olefinic-based foam and PP substrate. The driving force for TPO in Europe is mainly recyclability while in the USA, it is long-term durability. This paper describes the key limitations of the current TPO systems which are: poor grain retention of TPO skin, shrinkage in-consistency of the skin, high cost of priming (or other treatments) and painting of the skin, lower process window of the semi-crystalline TPO material during thermoforming or In-mold lamination / Low pressure molding, high cost of the foam, low tear strength of the foam for deep draw ratio etc.

A unique design, engineering, and manufacturing approach has been used to create the first all-plastic door hardware module frame. The result of many years of intensive development efforts by a team of companies, the gas-assist injection molded frame features a high degree of parts consolidation and has been critically acclaimed as “the first major metal-replacement automotive part since the bumper, a quantum leap in injection molding complexity, and the biggest commercial breakthrough ever in gas assist molding [1].” The program also proved to be an excellent example of the types of technological breakthroughs that can come from concurrent engineering and strategic partnering. This paper will provide an overview of the component's development, describe the many challenges facing the team, and share solutions that contributed to the success of the program.

The successful use of P/M methods for the production of sensor rings used in antilock brake systems is predicated upon the attainment of a combination of mechanical, magnetic, and corrosion resistance properties. This paper summarizes these properties for high temperature vacuum and hydrogen sintering in commercial furnaces. Properties are also compared with parts sintered at lower temperatures and the effects of repressing and annealing are included. The results are analyzed with respect to microstructure and chemical analysis.

Gas injection molding of reinforced engineering plastics for structural applications is a very innovative approach, but is still in an infancy stage. The requirements for window guidance channel are: dimensional stability, high strength to weight ratio, no warpage and low wear. The composite materials with hollow tubular structure can only meet these requirements based on FEA analysis. We evaluated 30% glass filled polyester (short and long glass fibers). The part and tool designs are the key parameters for successful results which are discussed. Information on current gas injection molding technologies is discussed. The new software ‘C-Gas flow analysis’ was used to optimize gate design and process parameters. The design of experiments based on Taguchi method was used. Both available technologies, i.e., gas through nozzle and gas through runner or cavity were tested. The cross section analysis was done using CAT Scan.