Page 37 - MetalForming March 2011

P & C has developed a number of self-con- tained systems to aid
in the atomization and mixing of diesel
exhaust fuel.
factured. Taking a unique approach
to prototyping, P & C uses all
hardened tool steel and mechanical presses, providing its customers
with manufacturing analysis months before actual product launch, and it can yield an interim PPAP submission in less than four weeks.
Research and Development
The laboratory, advanced engineering department, design group and prototype shop combine to make up P & C’s research and development department. This area develops new products and techniques, among them:
• A patented selective catalytic reduction (SCR) mixing module;
• A reverse-extrusion catalytic-converter cone;
• Fuel cells for zero-emission vehicles; and
• Development of an in-die spinforming process conducted under
the ram.
Apropos to the 2003 passage of more stringent Corporate Average
Fuel Economy standards, P & C is continuing development of its SCR process. Pridgeon & Clay has worked with several OEMs and Tier 1 companies to design, build and test countless SCR systems that detoxify exhaust emissions, many of which are in production today.
One of P & C’s latest developments is the ability to spinform in-die at a rate of 30 strokes/min. This eliminates a typically costly offline opera- tion. Replicating the die conditions in a lab environment was key to the engineering group’s ability to refine and execute this development. The process stemmed from the lab’s work on the reverse-extrusion process. As metal is extruded to form an eyelet or flange, the displaced material tends to elongate, resulting in a material-
thinning condition by as much as
30 percent.
P & C designed a solution that rein- forces the weakened state, by extruding material onto itself to create a dual-wall condition from material otherwise deemed as scrap. This design strength- ens the weakened area while eliminating potential part failure, and also results in a mass reduction for the part. The process allows an engineer to design with lighter-gauge sheetmetal, and even redesign cast components into stamped products, an area of specific expertise for Pridgeon & Clay. MF
Get more info at: Pridgeon & Clay
50 Cottage Grove SW Grand Rapids, MI 49507 Phone: (616) 241-5675 Fax: (616) 241-1799 www.pridgeonandclay.com
www.metalformingmagazine.com