MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich.,
Oct. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/
-- Lightweighting is the automotive industry's best bet to
achieve the 2025 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard, according
to Chuck Evans, corporate vice
president at Henkel Corporation's automotive group, in remarks at
the WWJ Newsradio 950 Auto Summit held today in Southfield, Mich.
"There are plenty of options on the table to get us to 54.5
miles per gallon by 2025," Evans said. "Advanced powertrains,
vehicle downsizing, lightweighting and other innovations are all
being pursued. If we focus on vehicle lightweighting alone,
according to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the average
new vehicle will weigh 28 percent less in 2016 than it does today,
he said. Just imagine what we can do by 2025."
Vehicle lightweighting is about more than reducing weight and
improving fuel economy. It's also about contributing to a better
environment. Replacing two pounds of steel with one pound of
aluminum saves 20 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the life
of the vehicle, according to Alcoa. Additionally, fewer materials
going into the vehicle means fewer industrial byproducts and a
reduction of materials going into landfills.
"By incorporating the technologies that Henkel makes, we
estimate that we can reduce the mass of every vehicle by more than
95 kilograms (approximately 209 pounds), which is the environmental
equivalent of planting about 19 trees," Evans said.
Using lightweight materials is not without its challenges,
though. Lightweight materials simply cannot be introduced by using
traditional joining and surface treatment techniques. The use of
new methods, like adhesives, plays a significant role. Evans said
the solution is found in chemistry. In particular, cured adhesives
provide a protective barrier between metals that prevents
corrosion, which is key given the highly corrosive nature of
material like aluminum.
Lightweight material has often been impractical or cost
prohibitive to put into mass production. Henkel has developed
various technologies, from pretreatment processes to adhesives, to
make lightweighting and mass production possible.
Henkel's LOCTITE MAX 2 solution, for example, is a
polyurethane-based resin system that cures faster than traditional
epoxy resins. Due to its low viscosity, LOCTITE MAX 2 more easily
penetrates the fiber material speeding up cycle times so
lightweight materials like carbon fiber composites can be
introduced on high-volume automotive production. Cycle time
reduction varies per application. In one example, it was reduced
from approximately 20 minutes to between 8-10 minutes; in another
application, it was reduced to only 2-4 minutes.
For additional information about Henkel's capabilities in
vehicle lightweighting, visit www.henkelna.com/lightenup or follow
us on Twitter @HenkelAuto_NA.
Editor's note: High-resolution images are available by
contacting Rich Donley at
rdonley@mccicorp.com or 248-595-0659.
About Henkel
Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in
three business areas:
Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies.
Founded in 1876, Henkel holds globally leading market positions
both in the consumer and industrial businesses with well-known
brands such as Persil, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. Henkel employs
about 47,000 people and reported sales of $21.13 billion and adjusted operating profit of
$2.98 billion in fiscal 2012.
Henkel's preferred shares are listed in the German stock index
DAX.
www.henkel.com/automotive
Contact
Carrie Cioffi / Henkel
carrie.cioffi@henkel.com
248-840-6879
Rich Donley / MCCI on behalf of
Henkel
rdonley@mccicorp.com
248-595-0659
SOURCE Henkel