Autoneum has developed felt blanks for bulkhead and floor components in vehicles that are said to offer significant weight reductions together with improved acoustic performance. These are manufactured using the newly defined Rotating Injection Fibre process.

The IFP-R2 production system based on the Rotating Injection Fibre process has been newly designed according to the company’s optimised manufacturing procedure and improved its environmental performance.

Innovative process 

The Rotating Injection Fibre process is an innovative procedure from Autoneum used for manufacturing tailor-made felt blanks for bulkhead and floor components in vehicles.

In this process, the fibre mixture – the basic material for the felt blanks – is filled into a defined cavity located in a rotating drum. This, according to the company, results in robust intermediate products which are then moulded into the shape required for the final product.

Improved performance

The advanced process is said to lead to a reduction of sound bridges in the felt blanks. This improves products’ acoustic performance, the company reports. At the same time, the weight of the felt blanks is reduced as the desired thickness can be exactly defined and the required shape precisely filled and cut to size.

According to Autoneum, with the optimisation of this procedure, an improved environmental performance in the production process is achieved – the material efficiency is now 95%, compared to 80% as seen previously. Excess material is recycled and then reused in the production process.

In operation

Autoneum has developed its own IFP-R2 production system for implementing the Rotating Injection Fibre manufacturing procedure.

IFP-R2 has already been successfully put into operation in Europe and will also be used at Autoneum sites in North America and Asia in future. The compact, mobile system can easily be transported as needed between different production sites, the company reports.

Autoneum

Autoneum is the leading producer of vehicle acoustics and thermal management systems. The company develops and manufactures components, modules and complete systems for interior and engine bay, as well as heatshields and underbody shields.

Customers include leading automobile producers in the key markets of Europe, North America, South America and Asia. Autoneum is represented at about 45 locations in over 20 countries.

www.autoneum.com