Foam-ward Bound
Cymat Corp. to press its aluminum foam technology into service in the automotive sector
By Dan Pelton for Design Engineering published in AutoPlant | June 6, 2008
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Cymat Executive Chairman Michael Liik shows off SAF panels at the Mississauga plant. |
There a number of ways North American companies can deal with stiff off shore competition.
They can decrease the labor and increase the automation in their plants, or they can take an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” attitude and license your product to be made off shore.
Or, you could be like Cymat Corp. of Mississauga, Ont. and sell an innovative technology that the off shore guys don’t have. Cymat produces a product called Stabilized Aluminum Foam (SAF). The foam has sponge-like characteristics that can absorb the impact of either a collision or a bomb blast. So much so, that SAF is being considered for incorporation into combat vehicles.
At Cymat’s Mississauga plant, aluminum ingots, or “metal matrix composites (MMC),” are melted in two induction furnaces to 700 degrees C. The molten, alloyed aluminum is then poured into a foaming tundish, where air is injected to turn it into foam.
For automotive applications, Cymat deploys a low-pressure casting process that involves injection of gas into a mould filled with MMC. The flow of gas is controlled so that it’s sufficient to precisely fill the mould and create a uniform and reproducible cell structure.
It is truly a Canadian technology, insofar as Cymat acquired the exclusive license to produce SAF from Montreal-based Alcan International in 1995.
There are three market niches for SAF. The flat panels produced at the plant have a variety of architectural uses. Then there is the military potential. Cymat, however, sees the automotive industry as the company’s largest market in years to come; even though the use of its foam in cars is still in the prototype stage and has yet to find its way into an actual vehicle.
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An example of the foam castings produced as Cymat’s Mississauga plant. |
Cymat executive chairman Michael Liik points to three reasons why Cymat’s technology would be a boon for automakers...safety, noise reduction and better performance. First off, the foam could be injected into such things as side panels. In case of a crash, its cells would absorb the stress of the collision much likes a sponge absorbs water.
While the safety value of Cymat foam is fairly obvious, it also has properties that lend themselves to a more comfortable and pleasurable drive. For example, when a motorist is willing to shell out close to six figures for a luxury, high-end automobile, he or she will want the ride to be as quiet as possible. The easiest way to ensure this is to have solid components, as opposed to hollow ones, that won’t be susceptible to noise vibrations.
High-end vehicles, though, are also subject to new regulations and consumer demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles. Solid components, due to their weight, make the vehicle heavier and, therefore, more of a gas guzzler.
With this in mind, Cymat—in a partnership with Swiss aluminum castings supplier Georg Fischer— is working with a German car company to modify the steering knuckles on its vehicles, which are currently hollow.
The steering knuckle is the component that actually turns the front wheels. It has an upper and lower ball joint that it pivots on and creates the geometry of the steering axis. It is always in use when a car is in motion and, subsequently, always being heard.
“We took their [steering knuckle] and used it as the mould and injected foam until all the hollow cavities were filled,” explains Liik. “When the part is hollow, you get an enormous resonance, almost like a bell. Once it’s filled with material, it’s just a mild thud.”
Without having to actually re-design the knuckle, the company achieves a lower NHV (noise, vibration and harshness) value.
In addition, the foam can also change the frequency of noise coming into a part. Very low frequencies are shifted to very high ones that are difficult to hear. “It is a very effective noise attenuator,” says Liik.
Another advantage, he points out, is that the addition of foam to a hollow component makes it stiffer.
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Cymat’s Greg Skvortsoff displays a prototype part. |
“(Carmakers) are always looking for more stiffness in their chassis and particularly in their suspension components, because that improves the performance,” says Liik. “Ultimately, they can redefine the part with thinner walls and less complexity, but still get better stiffness properties and a better NVH value.”
As well, in this green-conscious age, the Cymat foam is completely recyclable. “In Europe, you have to have a recycling plan associated with any material you put into cars,” says Liik. “That can cause a real problem. But with our material, you can melt it down and use it again.”
Now that Cymat is making waves in the automotive industry, the company doesn’t have any plans to enter the market as an actual tier one or tier two auto parts maker.
“We’ve chosen to license the technology and our first licensee is Georg Fischer,” Liik explains. “We’ve been working with them for five years and have a very comprehensive arrangement. They have been a perfect partner for us. Whereas we understand how to develop the science of the process, they understand the industrialization of the process.”
Once the Cymat technology actually finds its way into an automobile, and it appears that this could soon happen, Liik figures the company will be in a much better position to pursue licensing arrangements elsewhere.
“The idea, ultimately, is to find licensees in North America, Asia and South
America.”
www.cymat.com
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