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MANN+HUMMEL's Active Intake Manifold Earns Award

15 November 1999

MANN+HUMMEL's Active Intake Manifold Earns the Society of Plastics Engineers 'Most Innovative Use of Plastics' Award in the Powertrain Category

    DETROIT, Nov. 15 -- For the third time in four years,
MANN+HUMMEL has captured the SPE award in the powertrain category.  The
winning product, an active intake manifold, is utilized on the 1999 Rover 75,
the English automaker's successor to the 600 and 800 series, and on the new
Rover 45 due out in January 2000.  It marks Rover's first use of a plastic
intake system on a V-6.
    The award-winning design introduces a number of innovative features that
contribute to both the performance and value of the part.  Made of a DuPont
brand of glass reinforced nylon, the component incorporates six molded flap
valves in the runners and an additional resonance valve in the plenum making
this the first manifold to use all plastic flap valves.  The valves serve to
control the plenum volume and the change from longer to shorter runner lengths
optimizing the engine's torque output.
    Producing all-plastic valve assemblies without adding assembly steps to
the process posed a unique challenge for MANN+HUMMEL.  To manufacture this
complicated part, MANN+HUMMEL developed a patented overmolding process for the
valve assembly.  The flap valves, the valve's frame, shaft and flap are all
formed successively in the mold and joined during the injection molding
process.  This is made possible by using dissimilar materials for the valve's
frame and the flap.  The frame is made of one type of nylon while another was
chosen for the flap.  Once molded, the valve assemblies are then
ultrasonically welded to the manifold eliminating any assembly steps.
    Two other well-known production processes were enlisted for this complex
component.  The intake manifold is made using the lost-core process while the
plenum cover and the manifold are joined using vibration or shell welding.
All of the secondary components are attached using self-tapping screws
eliminating the need for threaded metal inserts, a technique which allows the
manifold to be recycled later at a relatively low cost.
    "This product is a demonstration of MANN+HUMMEL's ongoing commitment to
exploring new ideas and providing unique solutions to our customers' demands.
Innovation, in many cases, equals value-add for our customer, as was the case
with this design.  We were able to provide benefit by decreasing both the
weight and cost while enhancing the performance.  This project proved to be a
great success for everyone involved and we are thrilled to be recognized as an
innovator in the industry," said James J. Riordan, president of MANN+HUMMEL
AUTOMOTIVE, Inc.
    With 1998 sales of approximately $1 billion, the MANN+HUMMEL Group is
organized into two divisions, automotive and industrial.  The automotive
division, which serves the OEM, OES and Aftermarket, manufactures components
ranging from air, oil, fuel and cabin filters, to oil modules, fluid
reservoirs, air cleaners, composite intake manifolds, manifold modules and
complete induction systems.  With 27 manufacturing/sales locations worldwide,
MANN+HUMMEL employs approximately 7,800 people.