Automotive Engineering - October 2020 - 28

PRODUCT
BRIEFS

SPOTLIGHT: MATERIALS
Sustainable interior foams

Thermally conductive elastomer

OBoNature foam technology
from FoamPartner
(Wolfhausen, Switzerland) is
based on sustainable raw
materials for next-generation automotive interiors.
FoamPartner's product
portfolio features various
densities for many applications within the automotive
interior. The resulting lightweight construction can reduce manufacturing costs and
extend the operating range of electric vehicles (EVs). Higher
demands on functionality and quality can also be met with
low-emission and low-odor solutions that are characterized
by durability and that have been optimized for faster processing. In compliance with the guiding principle of upcycling, the production of OBoNature uses sustainable raw
materials gained from by-products in the chemical industry.
This reduces the required amount of petrochemical intermediates by 20%. The foams pass FMVSS 302 flammability
testing. They also offer what the company claims is "excellent" lamination for faster processing and provide good hydrolytic stability for durable lightweight components in
electrical and hybrid vehicles.

Freudenberg Sealing
Technologies (Weinheim,
Germany) has developed
a material that combines
seemingly contradictory
properties: It conducts
heat well but is also electrically insulating. The new
elastomer merges relatively high heat capacity
with electrically insulating
properties by combining silicone rubber with special fillers.
The material will be used primarily in electric car components since semiconductors and other current-carrying elements are never completely lossless. Electronic components
may thus be mounted in thermally conductive aluminum
housing, for example, which dissipates the heat either via
cooling water or convection. Freudenberg decided to use
silicone - rarely used in car manufacturing - as the base
material. According to the company, the material retains its
properties over a very high temperature range but it can be
deformed with relatively low force. When sprayed on a metal surface, it fills the tiny gaps caused by roughness, which
not only improves the heat transfer but also enables adhesion without additional surface treatments.

For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/76519-400

For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/76519-401

SFF embedded computer system

Contactless wireless charging

The ARCX1100 is a rugged, small form factor
(SFF) embedded computer system from
Acromag (Wixom, Mich.) with modular I/O
for signal processing, communication and
control functions for a variety of data acquisition applications. It is optimized for size,
weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) with a COM Express Type
10 CPU and four slots for Acromag's plug-in AcroPack I/O
modules. Overall size with an integrated removable SSD bay
is just 7.6 x 7.6 x 3.25 in (19 x 19 x 8.25 cm) and 4.55 lb (2 kg).
Fanless, extended temperature operation from -40 to 71°C
(-40 to 159.8°F) is supported with an Intel Atom E3950
(Apollo Lake) processor and four AcroPack I/O modules installed. Peripherals include two RJ45 gigabit Ethernet, two
USB 3.0, two RS232, mini DisplayPort, and audio ports, plus
M.2 and SATA data storage connectors. Designed for defense,
industrial, and mobile embedded computing systems, the
ARCX1100 is suitable for test and measurement, data acquisition and control, communication, avionics, simulation and
signal processing applications.

Yank Technologies' (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contactless, wireless charging product, the
MotherBox, is officially certified by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
When first introduced in 2017, the
MotherBox concept was the first true wireless charger with no contact required. It operates with a receiver and can charge multiple devices at once,
is both Android and iOS compatible, and allows free movement
of the devices being charged. By scoring a Specific Absorption
Rate (SAR) value below the limit of 1.6W/kg, the company
proved its technology - made up of a three-dimensional antenna architecture and amplifiers - met FCC radiation limitations for electrical devices. At CES 2020, the company unveiled
its evolution of the MotherBox technology as the first high power, near-field wireless charging solution for the automotive sector. With the ability to do the job barrier-free, efficiently and
safely, the technology can be installed as original equipment
throughout the vehicle and charge multiple mobile devices
wirelessly at once while they are in use and without contact.

For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/76519-402

For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/76519-403

28 October 2020

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

http://info.hotims.com/76519-400 http://info.hotims.com/76519-401 http://info.hotims.com/76519-402 http://info.hotims.com/76519-403

Automotive Engineering - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive Engineering - October 2020