What's The Buzz Behind 'Bracketless' Wiper Blades?

BROADVIEW, Ill., May 24, 2006 -- If you've been in the market recently for new windshield wiper blades for your vehicle, you may have heard the term bracketless or beam blades.

Bracketless wipers represent a technology upgrade for most vehicles equipped with conventional blades, says Otto Stefaner, Senior Product Manager with Robert Bosch Corporation, a leading global supplier of automotive parts and systems. The combination of bracketless design, attached to the traditional arm, internal tension springs and aerodynamic wind spoiler improves driving visibility in the worst weather conditions all year around - be it mist, drizzle, rain, blowing dust or heavy snow.

"Conventional wiper blades use an external steel frame and joints that apply pressure at specific spots," said Stefaner. "By eliminating the frame and joints in a bracketless design, we have increased the blade's ability to conform to the curvature of each windshield, which applies uniform pressure along the entire length of the wiping element and results in a cleaner, quieter wipe each time," he explained.

Bosch's new bracketless wiper blade for the aftermarket -- Bosch ICON(TM) -- features an integrated wind spoiler that encloses dual precision-tensioned steel springs. "Enclosing the tension springs reduces the chance of snow and ice buildup and ensures equally efficient performance in winter," Stefaner said.

In addition, the dual rubber technology -- harder rubber wiping edge that resists wear and the softer rubber flex for better flip over -- helps remove the smallest droplets of moisture, he said.

Bosch's advanced bracketless wiper blade has received several design awards in Europe and the U.S. Bosch ICON is the aftermarket version of the manufacturer's Aerotwin "bracketless" blade introduced on new vehicles in 1999. Currently, Bosch is the largest supplier of bracketless wiper blades to vehicle makers worldwide, with over 33 million blades placed into service to date.

For more than 75 years now, Bosch has played a significant role in advancing wiper blade technology. Bosch introduced the first electric windshield wiper system in 1926, the first intermittent windshield wiper in 1971, and the two-component wiper blade element in 1994. At the world's largest windshield wiper factory in Tienen, Belgium, Bosch produces 350,000 wipers a day, and manufactures 700 different types of blades.

"With more of these blades on new vehicles, bracketless wiper technology is the way of the future," said Bosch's Stefaner. Currently, more than 35 percent of new European cars come equipped with bracketless blades and Bosch estimates close to 40 percent in the U.S. by 2010. [http://www.boschusa.com]/