Carsten Dede, Process Engineer, Extrusion, U.S.
"What we’re doing is to help the engine breathe easier. When it does that, you get greater engine performance and greater fuel efficiency. And if you do that, you get lower emissions of CO2 and other pollutants.
It all happens with this supercharger from our customer, Eaton Corporation. We make the rotors that are the central part of their Twin Vortex Supercharger.
Here’s how it works. The rotors inside the supercharger fit together, turning in opposite directions from each other – at up to 18,000 rpm. As the rotors turn, they feed excess air into the intake manifold of the engine, and this improves combustion.
You can make a four-cylinder engine that performs like a six-cylinder engine – but with less fuel consumption.
We’ve worked really hard to get the extrusions perfect. The twists in the rotors have to fit together just right – the tolerances are very precise – or the supercharger won’t perform as it’s supposed to.
This extremely complex extrusion is twisted 160 degrees as it comes through the die. To make a component with this level of complexity and to hold up to the rigors of an automotive engine, we developed a special aluminium alloy. The supercharger market started with high end vehicles, as a lot of innovations do. But the supercharger is going to be used in more everyday cars, especially in Europe, where emissions standards are increasingly strict.
These standards mean that engines with turbochargers, which use exhaust to power a turbine, will become less efficient. Engines with superchargers, on the other hand, will have an advantage.
We’re looking forward to it."
Lighter cars
The new BMW 7 Series is up to 55 kilograms lighter than its predecessors. We helped these cars slim down with a front-end module made of aluminium components that helps reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Low-energy buildings
About 40 percent of energy use globally comes from buildings. Our new Wicona building systems research and testing center in Bellenberg, Germany, is an eco-efficient showcase for how buildings can really reduce energy use.
