The shift away from the internal combustion engine
The shift away from the traditional internal combustion engine is gaining momentum and with an estimated one billion vehicles across the planet there is a conscious effort to reduce harmful emissions, which is backed by greener government initiatives. While these initiatives can do their part when it comes to sustainability, it is down to the manufacturers to develop new automotive designs, using environmentally friendly powertrains, lighter weight materials, thinner walled castings and production processes such as die casting in order to reduce weight.
With this ever-increasing focus on creating greener methods of transport and meeting zero emissions targets in cities across the globe, automotive manufacturers are increasingly focused on lightweight vehicle parts and structures. This importance is paramount within EV compared to traditional (internal combustion engine) automotive production.
A significant challenge facing the EV market is range, which positions EV behind the internal combustion engine. In order to overcome this challenge battery technology will have to be improved, but more importantly electric vehicles will have to become lighter, and weight significantly reduced. An average battery pack weighs around 200 kg – 300 kg. To achieve this, automotive manufacturers continue to embrace thinner-walled castings, lighter materials and new technologies in a bid to reduce vehicle weight.
The demand for better efficiency
While the die casting process is an essential manufacturing method for automotive production it’s not without its share of challenges, one of which is porosity. As vehicle manufacturers pursue lighter cars, the problem of porosity is increased.
The problem is that in order to reduce vehicle weight, die casters have chosen to cast thinner wall components which brings with it an increased risk of porosity creating a leak path. This means that there is a greater risk of the microscopic holes which form within a part during the casting process interconnecting, and creating a continual leak path through the component, meaning the part may not be functionally sound, as this pathway can allow gases or fluids (oils etc) to escape rendering the part unusable.
The solution to this problem lies with vacuum impregnation, which is a technique used for sealing leak paths and porosity in metal castings. Specialist impregnation equipment is used to fill microscopic holes and leak paths with liquid sealant under vacuum, which is then transformed into a chemically and thermally resistant polymer by heating.
Using this process allows die casters to produce thinner walled castings without the risk of leak paths where liquids and gases can escape under pressure. As well as product enhancement and supporting automotive companies to reduce part weight, impregnation offers huge cost and efficiency savings as defective parts could be consigned to scrap.
Vacuum impregnation has gained a lot of traction over the last few years and will continue to do so as the EV market goes from strength to strength. The vacuum impregnation process gives manufacturers more confidence that the need to discard parts which have been affected by porosity will be a thing of the past.
Why work with Ultraseal?
Ultraseal is leading the way in sustainability when it comes to vacuum impregnation and porosity sealing, which is the perfect combination when it comes to the production of electric vehicles. With the necessary solutions to help manufacturers seal porosity in their die casting operations, Ultraseal has the world’s first closed-loop vacuum impregnation system, capable of recycling 95% of chemicals.
This provides commercial and environmental benefits, as ordinarily these chemicals would be flushed away with wastewater. Another plus point of using this technology is that the closed-loop system is also a leaner alternative to other methods, offering less equipment downtime emptying, cleaning and refilling tanks.
As the automotive sector and the manufacturing of electric vehicles grows companies will continue to invest heavily in the electrification of their product ranges to future-proof their business and stay relevant in the marketplace.
Incorporating vacuum impregnation into manufacturing processes will help the automotive industry to reduce scrap and material wastage, improve component life cycles and improve environmental performance. As the journey towards vehicle electrification continues at pace, Ultraseal International has a turnkey solution to meet your needs and ensure you remain competitive in the new era of vehicle manufacturing.
For more about Ultraseal International, please visit www.ultraseal-impregnation.com
About Ultraseal International
Ultraseal International, a Quaker Houghton company, is the global leader in sealing porosity in diecast, sintered and electrical components. From the development and manufacture of best-in-class sealants and impregnation systems, through to a global network of service centres and the provision of fully managed on-site facilities, Ultraseal’s offer is focused on meeting its customers’ porosity sealing challenges.
For more about Ultraseal International, please visit www.ultraseal-impregnation.com
About Quaker Houghton
Quaker Houghton (NYSE: KWR) is the global leader in industrial process fluids. With a robust presence around the world, including operations in over 25 countries, our customers include thousands of the world’s most advanced and specialized steel, aluminium, automotive, aerospace, offshore, can, mining, and metalworking companies. Our high-performing, innovative and sustainable solutions are backed by best-in-class technology, deep process knowledge and customized services.
With approximately 4,200 employees, including chemists, engineers and industry experts, we partner with our customers to improve their operations so they can run even more efficiently, even more effectively, whatever comes next. Quaker Houghton is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, located near Philadelphia in the United States. Visit www.quakerhoughton.com to learn more.
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