GE Plastics Resin Used for 1st Thermoplastic Throttle Body Application
27 October 1998
GE Plastics Resin Used for First Thermoplastic Throttle Body Application
Automakers Expected to Benefit from Weight, Cost Reduction, and Integration
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Oct. 26 -- For the first time in North
America, an engineering thermoplastic (ETP) has replaced aluminum under the
hood in a throttle body application and ULTEM(R) polyetherimide (PEI) resin
has helped make it possible.
Until now, all automotive throttle bodies have been made of metal in order
to maintain dimensional stability under high engine temperatures. However,
automakers have found that ULTEM resin, the premier high-performance amorphous
resin, made only by GE Plastics, enables them to bolster efficiency of old
engine designs with ETP throttle bodies that are 40% lighter than their
aluminum counterparts and 30-40% less expensive, depending on the throttle
body design.
Compared to other amorphous resins, ULTEM resin performs better in
aggressive environments, at higher temperatures and stress levels, for longer
periods of time. ULTEM resin's high-performance properties and good
processing characteristics offer automotive engineers exceptional system
design flexibility opportunities.
The use of GE Plastics resin for ETP throttle bodies is expected to be a
critical breakthrough for the integration of the air management system.
Throttle bodies were one of the last components in the system to be accepted
as a thermoplastic application. But now that the entire system can be made of
thermoplastic, automakers can begin incorporating complete air management
modules rather than individual system components. GE Plastics is working with
automakers to measure the degree of integration that may be attainable with
ETP air management systems.
"Modularity should be easier to achieve because plastic systems can be
assembled using snap fit features and the vibration welding process instead of
the fasteners that are necessary to assemble an aluminum system," says
Lawrence Bell, director of the underhood market segment. "Component
integration, cost-out and weight reduction are hot points for automakers."
Thermoplastic throttle bodies can also facilitate electronic integration
that is not possible in a metal system. For instance, electronic throttle
control can often be incorporated via insert molding and vibration welding,
thus eliminating the mechanical cables and linkages commonly used today.
"Underhood applications, especially in the air management system, are ripe
for thermoplastic. The ability to design for manufacture and assembly will
become significantly easier and more efficient engines will be the key
result," says Bruce Cundiff, director of automotive for the American Plastics
Council.
GE Plastics' resin will be used for a throttle body application on a 1999
model and 14 other programs are being evaluated for the application.
The GE Plastics Automotive Application Development Center in Southfield,
Mich. supplies the world's leading auto manufacturers with an extensive line
of engineering thermoplastics, advanced processing capabilities and systems
integration expertise. GE Plastics Automotive generates over $1 billion in
annual resin sales revenue worldwide.
GE Plastics, headquartered at Pittsfield, Mass., is a leading global
manufacturer of high performance engineering thermoplastics. With
manufacturing and marketing locations around the world, GE Plastics supplies a
spectrum of high performance resins, as well as advanced copolymers, alloys,
and composites, for use in major markets such as automotive, computers,
telecommunications, building and construction, lawn and garden, medical,
appliances, and housewares.
For more information on ULTEM resin, call GE Plastics at 800-845-0600, or
use the company's Fax-Back information request service at 800-GE-FAXBK.
Information can also be accessed through the GE Plastics Internet site at
http://www.geplastics.com.
ULTEM(R) is a Registered Trademark of General Electric Company.