COMPOSITE MATERIAL APPLICATIONS
SINTERED METAL COMPONENTS SUPPORT DEMANDING APPLICATIONS
Sintered (powdered) metal machine parts have many applications in automotive manufacturing. These composite metal components are used in engines, wiper motors, oil pumps, starter motors and more. They are custom engineered in accordance with the strictest manufacturer specifications.
NTN engineers sintered metal starter motor gears to withstand repeated impact loads to support increasingly demanding applications in idle stop-start vehicles. Our sintered metal components are developed for high-strength, high precision applications and can be manufactured in complex shapes. We have successfully optimized material composition, manufacturing methods, and thermal processing, to ensure that these composite materials represent a versatile, cost effect alternative to cold forged components.
VARIABLE VALVE TIMING SYSTEMS DRIVE IMPROVED SEAL DESIGN
Variable valve timing (VVT) systems increase an engine's flexibility, resulting in increased fuel economy and performance. The demand for increased fuel economy, particularly in emerging markets, has driven a demand for advances in VVT technology, including components such as the oil seals that divide the chambers in a hydraulic VVT system.
These seals are typically made of resin material; however, NTN has developed sintered alloy oil seals with excellent sealing capability, strength and dimensional accuracy. These attributes are critical for achieving low oil seal leak rates, greater operating responsiveness and improved efficiencies.
In 2015, NTN’s development of sintered metal seals for VVT applications was awarded the New Material Design Award by the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association, affirming that NTN is on the leading edge of material and manufacturing development to improve efficiencies and lower overall vehicle cost.
LOW-TORQUE TRANSMISSION SEALS INCREASE EFFICIENCY
The directive to increase fuel economy has driven demand for technologies that provide solutions to the engineering challenges faced by automotive manufacturers. The evolution of the automatic transmission and the increasing adoption of constantly variable transmissions have increased fuel economy and have also presented challenges.
NTN has developed new low torque transmission seal rings with specifically designed V-shaped grooves, made from our polyether ether ketone (PEEK) resin and engineered fillers, for maximum performance in automatic and CVT applications.
Our new design reduces “torque to turn” performance by more than 60%, and can result in 1/10th the wear of conventional seal rings. Complex abutment geometry injection molding ensures low oil leakage when compared to conventional seal rings made from PTFE resin that have simple or straight abutment geometry. When this design is manufactured with NTN’s Bearee PK5301 low-abrasive material, the results are excellent wear properties and energy savings for the life of the vehicle.
CUSTOM SLIDING COMPOSITE MATERIALS MINIMIZE WEAR
Designing fuel cell co-generation systems, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles presents many unique challenges. Among those challenges is the use of electric pumps to circulate the coolant needed to maximize fuel cell and electric motor life. Electric water pumps require specialized components manufactured from engineered plastic composites that aren’t required by traditional mechanical pumps.
Bearings manufactured using NTN’s proprietary BEAREE engineered plastic, combined with specific filler materials, have excellent self-lubricating properties, chemical resistance and design flexibility. NTN’s BEAREE bearings are engineered for specific demanding applications such as use in electric water pumps. These bearings reduce wear by more than 80% in coolant pumps and lessen wear on mating surfaces as well. Injection molding processes offer design flexibility, and the composite materials are engineered for use in harsh environments such as anti-freeze, and acidic or alkaline liquids.
