Smart Molding International 2-2020

41 www.smart-molding.com raw materials nections; these are more cost-efficient than using additional metal inserts. The threaded connections designed using polyamide 6 are significantly more stable, have a longer service life and are more reliable than with PP. The second advantage of polyamide is that it withstands the thermal loads that arise when the grille shutters are closed, in contrast to PP. Easier to achieve filigree, thin-walled component areas Due to the high flowability of poly - amide 6, component areas with filigree geometries can be designed with thin - ner walls. “It was possible to reduce the wall thickness by around 20% in the areas subject to lower loads. Com - pared to a standard polyamide 6 with the same fiberglass content, this re - sults in an appreciable weight saving,” according to Dajek. Due to the lower filling pressure, another benefit of the easy-flowing material is that compo - nents with lower stresses can be pro - duced, minimizing the distortion. Extensive HiAnt services Ford, Montaplast and LANXESS worked closely together over the entire development process for the hybrid bolster right up to the start of series production. LANXESS also brought in its HiAnt engineering service. In one of several engineering studies, a compo - nent topology analysis was carried out to provide suggestions for the design and position of the reinforcing poly - amide ribs that took account of the rel - evant load cases. Various calculations and simulations, such as analysing the rigidity of the radiator mount and the dynamic stability and noise vibration harshness (NVH) of the bolster, were also highly challenging. The load-bear - ing capacity of the metal-reinforced latch area (hood latch) as well as sever - al insurance-relevant load cases – such as lower leg impact tests for pedestrian protection or the behavior of the over - all assembly in the case of minor colli - sions, e.g. knocks while parking – were also simulated. In addition, LANXESS carried out tests on the prototype and series-production part to the specifi - cations of Ford. Dajek: “For example, we allowed the complete assembly to ice up in a climatic chamber and tested the reliable opening and closing of the grille shutters.” LANXESS www.lanxess.com About LANXESS LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.8 billion in 2019. The company cur - rently has about 14,300 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu - facturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. LANXESS is list - ed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good. The bolster houses an actively controllable unit consisting of four active grille shutters that ensure a demand-oriented supply of air to the engine cooling system. Photo: LANXESS AG The bolster is also reinforced at the sides with metal inserts. Photo: LANXESS AG