Höganäs and Dontyne collaborate to offer auto industry Powder Metallurgy gear options
May 22, 2019
Powder Metallurgy components can offer substantial cost savings for car manufacturers (Courtesy Höganäs AB)
Sweden’s Höganäs AB has announced it is working with Dontyne Gears Ltd, Washington, UK, to offer automotive manufacturers a complete package of services with the aim to drastically improve driveline solutions. Through a newly formed cooperation, Höganäs and Dontyne Gears will showcase how lighter Powder Metallurgy components, with complex designs, can bring substantial cost savings for car manufacturers and system suppliers in the automotive industry.
Cutting weight, both from electric and traditional internal combustion engines and drivelines, continues to be a major focus for the automotive industry, states Höganäs. Improving fuel efficiency and increasing the range of plug-in vehicles will be key for carmakers as the industry evolves into the era of electrification.
“We help car manufacturers and system suppliers design, test and prototype new, light-weight Metal Powder driveline solutions that are a much better fit for the hybridisation and electrification of the automotive industry,” stated Eckart Schneider, Director Powder Metallurgy Business Development at Höganäs AB. “Our cooperation with Dontyne Gears means we can become even better partners for our customers in developing and prototyping PM components in general and drivelines in particular.”
Höganäs brings to the collaboration a deep knowledge of materials and vast experience of PM component applications for automotive driveline solutions, while Dontyne Gears is an expert in uniting gearing and system design, and manufacturing practices to reduce time and resources and promote efficient production in the gear industry.
“As materials and production techniques continuously improve, there are many applications that benefit from being looked at again to find much simpler and more cost-efficient alternatives,” added Mike Fish, CEO of Dontyne Gears Ltd. “Car manufacturers will benefit greatly when switching to components made out of PM instead of solid steel. We see a number of new applications where PM brings big advantages, such as weight and inertia as well as noise reduction.”
The two companies have started a joint concept development towards hybridising a pick-up truck to take advantage of PM gearing and electrical motor solutions. So far, the project is reported to show promising developments and could potentially have a large impact on the design-optimised drivetrains based on Powder Metallurgy solutions.
