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600 Top Auto Designers & Engineers Meet with the Aluminum Industry

22 October 1998

600 Top Auto Designers & Engineers Meet with the Aluminum Industry in Detroit; Aluminum's Safety & Environmental Advantages Highlighted

    DETROIT, Oct. 21 -- The aluminum industry today hosted more
than 600 senior auto designers, engineers and researchers to showcase how
aluminum can assist automakers address the ever-increasing safety and
environmental challenges of next generation cars and light trucks.
    The 19th Annual Automotive Aluminum Design and Fabrication Seminar was
sponsored by The Aluminum Association to exchange the latest technical
information about the automobile industry's perspectives relating to future
manufacturing and design trends and how aluminum can help meet industry
challenges.
    "Today's seminar ultimately will help make tomorrow's cars and light
trucks even safer, stronger and more environmentally friendly by allowing auto
engineers to maximize aluminum's many advantages," said Stephen Larkin,
president of The Aluminum Association.  "Aluminum solves the auto design
challenge of maintaining vehicle size for safety and convenience, while
decreasing weight to improve fuel efficiency."
    Featured speakers included Laurens van den Acker, Lead Designer of Ford's
Brand Imaging Group, and Thomas S. Moore, General Manager of Liberty and
Technical Affairs for Chrysler Corp., both of whom spoke of aluminum's growing
role as a material of choice in the auto industry.
    The environmental benefits of aluminum were also on display, including an
aluminum-intensive prototype car that achieves a fuel economy rating well
beyond today's vehicles. Starting with an aluminum intensive Ford Taurus, an
engineering team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison converted more than
20 additional components and systems to aluminum, including parts of the
suspension system, chassis, powertrain and electronic controls.
    Larkin noted, "The student-designed new and improved vehicle seats five
passengers comfortably and actually gets 80 miles per gallon -- this
incredible fuel economy would not have been possible without the auto weight
savings achieved by replacing more traditional materials with aluminum. This
car is real-world proof that aluminum is a 'can do' material that will make
tomorrow's cars and light trucks far more fuel efficient than today's vehicles
while still maintaining the size and safety that consumers demand."
    Discussions also focused on emerging technologies, including a new, high-
efficiency, low-cost aluminum foam composite "sandwich."  Winfried Bunsmann,
of Karmann Inc., detailed bow this advanced aluminum product, which is made of
exceptionally rigid, yet lightweight material, will be a critical component in
next generation cars and light trucks.
    Other interactive workshops focused on a cross-section of technical issues
of importance to auto design engineers such as "Energy Management of Aluminum
Structures," "Competitive Advantages in Future Lightweight Automotive
Structures," and "Development & Prototyping of an All-Aluminum Body
Structure."
    The Aluminum Association, based in Washington, DC, represents U.S.
producers of primary and secondary aluminum, as well as semi-fabricated
products. Member companies operate approximately 200 plants in 35 states.