2015 Chevy Trax Shows Timing is Everything
Prev Next Image Inside you’re hard-pressed to tell by sight which trim pieces are hard plastic and which aren’t. Then again, given the available content and surprising cargo room—48.4-ft3 with the rear seat folded—the hard surfaces might not be noticed. The old adage, “Last out, best dressed,†certainly applies to the 2015 Trax. A major […]
Assembling the Porsche 918 Spyder
Prev Next Image This is not your ordinary hybrid vehicle. It’s the Porsche 918 Spyder. Note the hybrid module in the rear of the vehicle—that section covered by carbon fiber. Inside the facility at Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, where the 918 is built. Working on the front axle of the 918. Related Topics: Automotive Design Automotive Engineering The […]
Data Transfer Secure & Swift
OpenPDM is an integration hub that connects 3D data systems together, such as PDM and PLM. It can be used for “Big Bang†migrations, as well as for both old and new systems to temporarily co-exist. Related Topics: Digital Domain Regardless of a company’s policies on transferring data, points out Paul Downing, president and CEO […]
Flame-wielding Robots
Eissmann Group Automotive recently installed a flame-treating robotic work cell to increase productivity for interior components in high-end automobiles. The robot processes polypropylene parts, preparing the surfaces for adhesive application. Related Suppliers ABB Inc. Robtics The ABB Robotics (new.abb.com/products/robotics) IRB 2600ID six-axis robot is methodically sweeping its arm through space over a large workpiece. While […]
More Efficient Semiconductors for Hybrids Sought
This is a power control unit (PCU) for a hybrid vehicle. Because the silicon-based semiconductors aren’t particularly energy efficient, Toyota is testing silicon-carbide semiconductors for the application, as it has less electrical resistance. Power semiconductors are used in the power control units (PCUs) for hybrids and electric vehicles.  Generally, these semiconductors are based on silicon. […]
On the 2015 Jeep Renegade: Serious Fun
Prev Next Image Round headlamps. Check. Seven-slotted grill. Check. Red tow hooks. Check. Off-road capable. Check. Yes, the 2015 Jeep Renegade checks the “Jeep†boxes. One difference: it is built in a plant in Melfi, Italy. Although the Renegade is fully off-road capable, this B-segment SUV was designed and engineered with full knowledge that it […]
Plastics: The Tortoise and the Hare
Prev Next Image GM may have gotten there first with the similarly constructed Pontiac Fiero, and upped the stakes with its APV minivans, but BMW’s Z1 sports car was the signal that plastic body panels would be the rule, not the exception in a plastics future that never fully arrived. Jeff Sternberg, DuPont’s Global Automotive […]
Precise, Accurate, and Efficient Honing
The lifehone series from Gehring is designed for accessibility and flexibility in honing applications. Due to the increasing demands on the honing process, Gehring L.P. (gehring.de) recently released a new line of modular honing machines that offer a systematic approach to manufacturing. The lifehone series includes machines with one or two spindles; a honing center […]
