After styling comes the engineering and feasibility. Simon Buckingham, body-in-white technical specialist at Jaguar Land Rover, emphasised that the correlation of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) data with physical crash test data is vital in ensuring engineering integrity. Jaguar’s recently launched XF showcases the engineer’s approach to data led decision making when optimising body structures for weight and cost.
As well as hosting the conference, 3M’s Automotive division showed a range of its weight saving solutions while a technical specialist presented a paper on the repair of bonded aluminium structures using 3M Scotch-Weld Epoxy Adhesive. It is worth noting that the infield repair of advanced materials is of utmost importance in terms of practicalities and cost and quality of repair. Aston Martin approached 3M Automotive for this solution and 3M delivered.
In addition to the advanced engineering of normal cars, Hugh Kemp, managing director at The Narrow Car Company, showcased a new vehicle configuration with his NARO. The NARO is a "free leaning" vehicle that combines the dynamics of a motorcycle with the comforts of a conventional car. The aim is to address the increasing problems of congestion and pollution without making any changes to infrastructure. Automotive Industry Research has predicted that the UK market size for this ‘sub-car’ sector will grow progressively to 20,000 per year by 2012, caused by: increasing congestion; ultra low C02 requirements; parking scarcity; and financial incentives such as congestion charging exemptions.
“Saving weight need not only concentrate on our adhesives bonding lightweight structures,” explained Steve Hemmings, general sales and marketing manager for 3M’s Automotive division. “The beauty is in the detail, and products such as 3M Thinsulate acoustic insulation and 3M Glass Bubbles can also help reduce the weight of component parts by up to 30%,” he continued.
The prize for Best Presentation was awarded to the budding engineers at St Swithuns School, Winchester, for designing and building a lightweight racing car for the Greenpower Challenge Schools Races.
“3M decided to host the Low Carbon Generation Conference in order to reinforce its position as one of leading suppliers of Lightweight Automotive Solutions,” said Hemmings. “We’d like to thank Jaguar and Lotus for exhibiting their latest products for the day. They are showing the way forward and gave delegates a tangible example of engineering progress.”
3M’s Automotive division is helping produce lighter cars by providing products and solutions that solve business issues and application requirements. With more than 55,000 products and 40-plus core technologies, 3M caters for all applications including body-inwhite, interior, exterior, powertrain and paintshops.
3M, Thinsulate and Glass Bubbles are trademarks of 3M Company.