Federal-Mogul Introduces Infrared Welding for 2000 Monte Carlo Tail Lamps
18 November 1999
Federal-Mogul Introduces Infrared Welding for 2000 Monte Carlo Tail Lamps
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Nov. 18 -- Federal-Mogul Corporation
today announced that it is the first to use non-contact infrared
welding to attach tail lamp lenses to their reflector housing subassemblies.
This innovative technique provides automakers a way of creating visually
appealing and differentiated tail lamp designs. Infrared lens welding is
being commercially deployed for the first time on the redesigned 2000
Chevrolet Monte Carlo tail lamp, which goes into full-scale production in
January.
"With the 2000 Monte Carlo program, Federal-Mogul continues to re-define
what is possible in the design and manufacture of cutting-edge automotive
lighting," said Rick Streicher, senior vice president, Sealing Systems,
Visibility and Systems Protection Products. "This design includes a unique
clear outer lens closely mated to a red inner lens -- a very demanding General
Motors specification that we are able to manufacture in volume with consistent
high quality."
"Traditionally, adhesives or vibration welding are used to bond the outer
tail lamp lens to its housing subassembly, which consists of the reflector,
inner lens, wiring, bolts and mounting mechanism," said Ken Lee, manufacturing
and engineering manager at Federal-Mogul's Hampton, Virginia, lighting
facility. "For the 2000 Monte Carlo, GM needed an innovative way to create a
cosmetically appealing bond because of the unique complex curvature of the
lens.
"The tail lamp design couldn't accommodate an adhesive groove and we knew
that a variety of different welding methods -- sonic, vibration, orbital and
hot plate welding -- weren't feasible because of the unique periphery shape of
the component."
The tail lamp and subassembly are loaded simultaneously into an upper and
lower nest of the machine and each sits approximately 1/16 of an inch from
infrared coils, heated to 1,100 degrees. The coils are removed and the lens
and reflector are pressed together creating a molecular bond.
Infrared welding has historically been used to bond less complex center
high-mounted brake lights. "Brake lights are flat and rectangular so there
aren't a lot of issues with loading the component into the welding fixture.
Infrared non-contact welding is a natural," Lee said.
The entire component is assembled at the company's Hampton facility. The
lamp socket and wiring assembly and outer lenses are manufactured at its
Sevierville, Tennessee, plant; the incandescent bulbs come from the Sparta,
Tennessee, facility. The assembly is tested and the finished module is
shipped to General Motors Corporation's Oshawa, Canada, assembly plant.
"In addition to the Pontiac Firebird tail lamp, which has a complex, four-
color molded lens, the Chevrolet Monte Carlo tail lamp is another example of
how our product and manufacturing engineering organizations have pioneered
technically innovative designs that our competition rejected as non-
achievable," said Bill Buchman, vice president of sales, marketing and
engineering for Federal-Mogul. "Infrared welding is one more example of our
broad technology portfolio."
Headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, Federal-Mogul is an automotive
parts manufacturer providing innovative solutions and systems to global
customers in the automotive, light truck, heavy-duty, railroad, farm and
industrial markets. The company was founded in 1899. Visit the company's web
site at http://www.federal-mogul.com for more information. Federal-Mogul's
press releases are available by fax through Company News On-Call, call
800-758-5804, ext. 306225.