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WACKER DRIVE
German chemical maker eyes expanding North American automotive presence with new technology
ALEX TULLO
To Munich-based Wacker Chemie, both North America and the auto industry will be key growth drivers. That's why late last month company representatives were in Ann Arbor, Mich., the big college town just down the road from the Motor City, to talk about its offering of new silicone, ceramic, and coating technologies for car companies.
Dirk Funke, president and chief executive officer of Wacker Chemical, the North American subsidiary of Wacker Chemie, noted that the Americas generated about $720 million of the group's sales, 28% of its total, in 2002. "Recognizing that the Americas, particularly North America, are regions targeted for expansion and growth, it is clear that in these regions the automotive industry will play an important role in the future growth of our company," he said.
And Funke believes that the company has plenty of R&D capabilities to help leverage that growth. Wacker, he pointed out, spent about $150 million on R&D last year--nearly 6% of sales--making it one of the most R&D-intensive companies in the chemical industry. "We firmly believe that these strategic investments will secure the continuing success of our business. It's the launchpad for new ideas and innovative solutions," he said.
One of these solutions is EKagrip frictional coatings, offered by Wacker Ceramics. Michael A. Fundus, senior manager for surface treatment at Wacker Ceramics, told the press briefing that the desire for more fuel economy, light and compact designs, and increased engine performance is driving the need for such products. "Long-proven designs and established materials have reached their limits," he said. "Our Wacker frictional coatings can help to overcome those limits."
EKagrip is a foil that has been electrocoated with nickel embedded with hard particles such as diamond, silicon carbide, or boron carbide. EKagrip increases the efficiency of engines by increasing the coefficient of friction--sometimes by as much as 300%--between engine components. For example, if the foil is installed between components such as the pulley and the crankshaft, it helps prevent slippage between the camshaft and the crankshaft systems.
The first application of EKagrip, in 1999, was in a crankshaft. Starting in 2001, the frictional foil could be found in every Porsche. This year, 5.5% of the 14.5 million engines projected to be built in North America, Canada, and Mexico will use EKagrip, including some from Ford Motor, General Motors, and Volkswagen. Funke adds, "It is a rapidly growing approach among engineers faced with the challenges of designing lightweight, compact, and economically effective power-train systems."
ALSO A BIG automotive area for Wacker is silicones. Funke points out that automotive applications make up 12% of the roughly $7.7 billion global silicones market. Both the silicones market and the automotive portion of it are projected to grow at 5% per year through 2006; in North America, growth is projected at 6%.
Thomas G. Jacobs, an applications chemist for Wacker Silicones, said few people appreciate the number of applications for silicones in cars. "Sealing and gasketing are all over your car," he told the audience. "There are many areas, not just in the engines and transmission lines. You have seals on your bumpers and seals on your wheel covers that most people don't realize. Silicones can be used in all of these applications."
One new technology for Wacker is liquid injection sealing. Unlike sealing processes in which silicone is applied to parts that are then pressed together, in liquid injection sealing, a base silicone material and a catalyst are injected into a groove cast into the parts. The silicone cures in place, creating a tight seal.
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GEARED UP This Ford oil pump uses Wacker's silicone in a liquid injection seal. |
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Ford has been using the process for about two years on oil pumps and the front covers of V-6 engines. The result, Wacker says, has been an 85% decrease in raw material costs and a reduction in leak failures from 3% to zero in 750,000 units on the road. Consequently, Ford has been able to reduce total cost per vehicle by $3.50. Other automotive companies, including GM, Daimler Chrysler, and International Truck & Engine Corp., are interested in the technology, Jacobs said.
The Wacker silicones business has also been developing materials for the outside of the car, namely Helicone HC, a silicone-based liquid-crystal paint additive used to produce a color-shift effect in paint. The technology is similar to the one found on the 1996 Mustang, which used a "color-flop" paint developed by BASF, except the effect from Helicone HC is not intended to be as dramatic.
The crystals in Helicone HC diffract light, producing different colors depending on the angle from which the surface is viewed, said David M. Grafflin, business team leader for liquid-crystal pigments. "Because it is transparent, it builds on the color as a blending material with everything else in the formulation," he said.
The additives are already in the automotive refinish market and have been used in dozens of concept cars for auto shows. Wacker is expecting a limited release in new cars next year.
Hershel Hicks, who designs concept cars for GM, offered an enthusiastic and perhaps hyperbolic testimonial about the additives. "With this paint, we have been able to excite people when they have never been able to enjoy a car before." |
