Asia's hottest auto industry relies more on new te

Asian auto industry relies more on new technology

Asian auto industry relies more on new technology

December 4, 2018

what direction is China's auto market going? What other challenges do electric vehicles pose? Where are the new opportunities for Asian suppliers These and other issues were discussed by more than 300 participants in the two-day aut 2018 auto conference, who were invited to Shanghai by Engel, an injection molding machine manufacturer and system expert, at the end of October

engel aut was held at the same time as the international exhibition of automotive engineering and future driving technology, the first equipment to buy, held at the Shanghai WorldExpo Exhibition Center for the first time, so the meeting received high attention. Gero willmeroth, President of East Asia of Engel Shanghai, said, "some exhibition visitors who do not know Engel and aut are temporarily signing up for Chinese paint on site." The participants were mainly development and production directors and heads of Chinese and international companies, which also contributed to the success of the event. "According to the specific requirements of local manufacturers, we discussed new technologies and future opportunities, and confirmed these themes in the international context." The report arrangement is of a high level. The reporters are from Volvo and nobo (members of Great Wall Motors), continental and ecorea, as well as JSC, ExxonMobil, SABIC and Engel

some reports at the beginning have clearly shown that the automotive market in Asia continues to develop with special dynamics. "At present, there are more than 100 automobile brands competing in China," explained Dr. Norbert m ü ller, director of Engel lightweight composite technology center. Electric vehicles are the focus. Another development is that famous Chinese suppliers also position their products in the high-end market. "There are important opportunities for new technologies to enter the market", m ü ller summarized two trends and demonstrated innovative composite technology in his report. M ü ller and his team have jointly developed a particularly economical new process for mass fiber composite lightweight structures, covering a wide range of technologies: in the field of composite lightweight structures, Engel studies all future oriented technologies, from hp-rtm and SMC, thermoplastic semi-finished products processing (such as organic plates and strips) to innovative reactive technologies, such as in situ polymerization (t-rtm). M ü ller said, "the new situation is that composite manufacturers in Asia are also increasingly focusing on thermoplastic solutions." "The way to realize thermoplastic composites by injection molding in the same mold immediately after molding can ensure a decisive time advantage."

productivity and efficiency are the focus

the high productivity and efficiency of the automotive industry are more likely to determine competitiveness and success than in other industries, which is not a new understanding. However, especially in Asia, this situation may intensify again. By 2020 at the latest, the promotion of electric vehicles will be coming to an end. This topic appeared again and again in the report and expert discussion as well as in the smaller circles on the sidelines. Various future scenarios were designed, but experts did not reach a consensus. Jochen Siebert, head of JSC automotive, an enterprise consulting expert specializing in China's auto market, said that the industry is currently undergoing a transformation process, which may slow down the dynamic development of the market and lead to integration. Another 3 One case of collection system failure is that hybrid vehicles are growing faster than electric vehicles

with the increase of efficiency pressure, process integration and automation have increasingly become the focus. "We are increasingly supplying multi part machines to Asia," confirmed Michael Fischer, head of business development technology at Engel's Austrian headquarters. First, in the field of automotive lighting and interior decoration, Engel is increasingly developing integrated system solutions for this purpose, including process technology, automation and other peripheral equipment. "If we accurately coordinate all process steps and equipment components from the beginning, we can make particularly good use of efficiency and quality potential." Fischer said

engel technical school's on-site demonstration

engel aut's typical practice is not only theoretical research. The next day, Engel invited participants to visit its large machinery factory located in Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park. With the help of four challenging applications, Engel automotive experts demonstrated how to effectively implement new technologies in practice

for example, in a fully automated production unit, thick wall headlamp lenses are produced through two linked duo injection molding machines. Engel overcomes the challenge of combining high optical quality with short cycle time by using optimelt patented multilayer technology with external cooling. Although the pre molded parts are cooled for 30 minutes, the cycle time is significantly lower than 3 minutes. "High quality optical elements are increasingly made of plastic." Fischer said. "Polymer materials are lighter than glass, providing product designers with greater freedom. Engel has equipped multi-layer equipment for well-known lens manufacturers around the world."

the second application is to combine efficiency with high surface finish. On another duo injection molding machine, high-quality interior parts for the interior space of the vehicle are produced through the Engel foammelt process. Foam injection molding enables even very thin parts to be reliably filled, while reducing the weight of parts. The innovative process based on chemical foaming agent exhibited in Shanghai is characterized by the direct production of high-quality visible surfaces from polypropylene during the injection molding process

the production of transparent technology components is all electric. Here, e-mac injection molding machine stands out for its high precision, process stability and efficiency. E-mac series injection molding machines, including ejection and pressing functions, are only equipped with servo motors with particularly powerful performance, which ensures the best efficiency. In addition, there is its compact structure. Space saving is also an important economic benefit factor

driving auxiliary device of injection molding machine

the fourth exhibit reveals how industry 4.0 provides more efficiency and quality. The injection molding machine equipped with Engel inject 4.0 program intelligent auxiliary system can continuously and automatically adjust the processing parameters to adapt to the fluctuations of raw materials and environmental conditions. The result is a constant process without waste products. "At present, the company has made important breakthroughs in nano modification technology, solid-phase tackifying technology, interface modification technology, dynamic vulcanization technology, inorganic ultra-fine powder toughening technology, environmental friendly flame retardant technology, activity control technology, high dispersion and high efficiency screw element combination technology and other plastic modification technologies, and the industry is extremely open to these topics." Fischer said. "Inject 4.0 products are increasingly becoming part of the integrated system solutions we provide to Asia."

Detroit Engel aut 2019

since 2009, Engel, an injection molding machine manufacturer, has regularly invited enterprises in the automobile and its accessories industry to attend the aut. Since three years ago, the meeting has been held in turn on all continents. Detroit will be the host city next year. In 2020, the industry will hold a conference in Austria, and aut 2021 will return to China

Engel aut 2018 in Shanghai has more than 300 participants and achieved great success. The report discusses current and future challenges, new opportunities and innovative technologies