Kolbenschmidt Pierburg Wins SPE Award

LIVONIA, Mich., Nov. 20, 2003 -- Kolbenschmidt Pierburg has been named a winner of the Society of Plastics Engineers "Most Innovative Use of Plastics" award. The company won top honor in the powertrain category for the development of its continuously variable intake manifold. The award was presented this week at the society's annual awards ceremony in Livonia, Michigan.

The awards recognize advancement and innovation in automotive plastics applications based on design, engineering and manufacturing.

The manifold, the first of its kind in the world, features plastic intake runner lengths that are continuously variable based on the conditions of the engine. Outfitted on BMW 8-cylinder, 4.4 liter engines, the manifold contributes to a five to ten percent increase in torque over the mid ranges.

Using Vyncolit's 53 percent glass reinforced phenolic for the runners and 55 percent GF for the rotary assembly allowed for a 20 to 25 percent weight savings over an equivalent aluminum version.

The 17 parts that make up the functional elements of the manifold are molded by Baumgarten GmbH on ten 300-ton presses. The parts are delivered to Kolbenschmidt Pierburg where they are assembled to produce the finished part.

"With 17 individual parts making up the runner assembly, the manifold is extremely complex and would have been very difficult in anything but plastic," said Armin Huck, test engineer on the program for Kolbenschmidt Pierburg. "In addition to the weight savings, the true advantage of the part is that it continually optimizes the torque curve over the entire rpm range, which translates to improved engine performance."

Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG is a subsidiary of Rheinmetall AG. With approximately 12,000 employees and global sales of nearly 1.9 billion euros, Kolbenschmidt Pierburg designs and manufactures automotive components including water, oil and vacuum pumps, secondary air systems, exhaust gas recirculation systems, exhaust flaps, throttle bodies, pistons, bearings and engine blocks. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.kolbenschmidt-pierburg.com .