CylinderBoreCoating reduces friction losses

Whilst these lightweight materials now provide excellent solutions to the requirements of modern engine construction, the quality of the cylinder surfaces has become the Achilles heel of the combustion engine. After all, surface hardness, roughness and texture are the determining factors for fuel consumption but also the performance characteristics of the engine. Apart from the use of special cylinder liners, twin-wire arc spraying is currently considered an extremely cost-effective technology for the coating of cylinder bore surfaces of combustion engines. In co-operation with Daimler AG and other partners, Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Nürtingen is taking on the task of industrialising all steps of the process and ensuring its process-reliable and cost-effective integration into engine production.

Weight reductions and engine downsizing are among the most common measures used by automotive manufacturers in order to lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. However, another way to increase efficiency is to reduce friction losses. Daimler AG, for instance, is using a newly developed arc spraying technology for coating cylinder bore surfaces and aluminium crankcases of automobile engines under the name of NANOSLIDE?. The technology uses a twin-wire arc spraying process to melt iron/carbon wires and spray them onto the cylinder surfaces of the lightweight aluminium crankcase with the help of a gas flow. Compared to technologically superior. However, the coating process requires optimal calibration of quality-determining parameters such as current, voltage, wire feed and process gas flow. In 2005, AMG's M156 V8 engine provided a good example of the high efficiency the technology provides. Due to their thermally coated cylinder liners, the so-called NANOSLIDE?-designed engines are superior in terms of displacement and torque, especially when compared with similar aspirated engines incorporating conventional lining technology. That is why the innovative technology has been used on all 6.3-litre AMG engines from 2006 onwards.

From prototype to series production - HELLER completes the process chain with CBC

The introduction of the technology into high-volume production requires market-oriented solutions in terms of system supply and services. To provide all this, Daimler AG has entered a partnership with Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH in Nürtingen. With a global range of systems and services for the complete process chain, HELLER in co-operation with Daimler and other interested parties will take on the task of industrialising all steps of the process and developing it into a reliable application for the global markets under the name HELLER CBC (CylinderBoreCoating).

Although the technology has only been used for exclusive low-volume series until now, its application in medium-volume production already provides significant competitive advantages compared to existing cylinder lining technologies. The technology complies with the production rules and criteria of the automotive industry. Now, it is only a small step to mass production. With the official opening of the HELLER CBC TechnologyCenter at the company's headquarters in Nürtingen on the occasion of Automotive Dialog 2012 on 28 and 29 June, HELLER will be giving the go-ahead.