Automotive Manufacturing Solutions

Interior

Move seat elements, rotary switches, doors and windows safely and without maintenance. When designing the vehicle interior, safety and comfort play a major role. Bearing points and cable guides in the interior components should therefore be as quiet and smooth-running as possible.

Application areas within car interiors such as rotary switches, window lifters, centre consoles, pedal systems, sunroof movements and many more.

Our top selling products used in car interiors are E2 micro energy chains, E04 chains, plain bearings in P210, M250 and F300 materials, and clip bearings. For more information, click here

Exterior

Components in automotive exteriors are exposed to adverse conditions. Temperature fluctuations, salt, water, dirt and dust all affect them. We offer suitable plastic-bearing and energy chains for use in windscreen wipers, headlights, brake calipers, spoilers, and other moving components.

Top selling bearings such as our UV- stabilised materials iglidur J UV, iglidur P, as well as lead screws and ball bearings are all used in car exteriors. We also have small energy chains, our E2 micro that are used.

Advantages of our technologies:

• Lubrication-free and therefore maintenance-free
• Cost advantage and up to 80 % weight saving compared to metallic solutions
• Resistant to dirt, media/salt, weathering and corrosion
• Certified according to IATF 16949
• Easy to assemble

Engine Compartment

Whether shift intake manifold, shift fork, belt tensioner, exhaust gas recirculation valve, throttle valve or turbocharger, things get hot in the engine compartment. To reduce friction and wear in the various applications, choosing the right plain bearing is of great importance.

Top products for engine compartments are plain bearings in materials such as iglidur X, H4 and H1, as well as coupling joints.

Advantages of our bearing technology:

• Cost benefits compared to needle roller bearings or metallic rolled bearings
• Vibration dampening
• No contact corrosion between housing and bearing
• Up to 80% less weight than conventional metallic plain bearings
• Service life is predictable online

Hinges

For clearance-free movement of convertible tops, spoilers, steps, doors and rear lids

Single and multi-joint hinges are used at various points on the vehicle and are usually fitted with metal-rolled bearings with a PTFE coating. To achieve a low-backlash system, however, these bearings have to be laboriously recalibrated. Our all-plastic bushings, on the other hand, simply calibrate themselves through the effect of heat during the e-coating process. The result: a low-backlash bearing even with a coarse sheet metal bore.

Top selling products used in hinge applications are plain bearings in materials such as F300, K230 and G as well as clip bearings

Actuators

Easy lifting, lowering and adjustment with maintenance-free plastic components

The automotive industry is responding to the increasing demand for comfort with more electrification in vehicles. As a result, the number of actuators and control elements is also increasing - for example in the longitudinal, height and tilt adjustment of seats, in locking systems, power windows, sunroofs, reversing cameras and lighting systems. We have plain bearings, threaded spindles and nuts as well as gears and gearing components in our range for these applications.

Requirements for products in actuators:

• No NVH
• High number of cycles > 1 million
• Resistance to lubricants

Top selling products used in actuators are lead screws, plastic gears and plain bearings made from materials such as iglidur J and H4

Examples of successful applications in automotive manufacturing

iglidur® prevents corrosion in linkage systems

iglidur® bearings used in door hinges and linkage joints are corrosion resistant and electrically conductive, qualifying them for e-coating and thermal recalibration (tolerance compensation)

Noise reduction in gearbox applications

iglidur® bearings are highly wear resistant, vibration damping and corrosion resistant to transmissions fluids and other liquids. This qualifyies them for use in manual transmission gear shafts within automotive industry

Coolant pump and coolant controller

• Silent operation
• High sliding speed in medium with hydrodynamic lubrication
• Maximum temperature 130 – 150°C
• High speeds of up to  2 m/s possible for a short time without lubrication
• Cost advantage compared to carbon graphite bearing