Ford’s engine recycling breakthrough
Ford is recycling old engines so they can be used again, with the help of a special Ford-patented plasma coating technology. The process delivers a 50 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with producing a new engine.
“We have taken a process that was originally developed to enhance performance models such as the all-new Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350R and used it to remanufacture engines that might otherwise be scrapped,” says Juergen Wesemann, manager, vehicle technologies and materials, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering.
“It is just one example of how Ford is looking to reduce its environmental footprint through a range of innovative measures.”
The plasma transferred wire arc (PTWA) thermal spray process and other sustainability innovations are being researched and developed at the Ford Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, and around the world.
The use of lightweight materials such as aluminium, carbon fibre and highstrength steels also are being researched and developed for improved fuel efficiency. Furthermore the research work also includes the use of renewable materials such as tomato fibres that are a by-product of tomato ketchup, bioplastics, and shrubs. Engines today are designed to operate for many years and several hundred thousand km in all imaginable conditions. However, in instances when an engine does fail, it is common that faulty units are simply replaced with a new engine.
The PTWA coating technology applies a spray to the inside of the engine block that helps restore it to its original factory condition.
“Traditional engine remanufacturing techniques can be prohibitively expensive, and energy intensive, requiring iron-cast parts and intricate machining processes. The PTWA coating technology removes the need for additional heavy parts and the processed engine block has a new life as the base of a replacement engine,” said Mark Silk, supervisor, powertrain products, Ford Customer Services Division Europe. Creating lighter vehicles is a key to Ford’s Blueprint for Sustainability and includes the use of new manufacturing techniques for highstrength aluminium enabling lightweighting, without sacrificing vehicle body strength.
Recently named 2016 Green Car Journal Green Truck of the Year at the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show, the Ford F-150 uses sustainable materials to help reduce its environmental footprint. Repreve fibre, made from recycled plastic bottles, is available for the F-150’s cloth seats.
By using this recycled material, Ford will divert more than five million plastic bottles from landfills this year. Other eco-conscious materials employed include rice hulls to reinforce plastic used in an electrical harness, fuel lines made from castor bean oil, seats made of soybeans and post-industrial recycled cotton.
Ford is now using an industryfirst recycling concept for its F-150 production. The body shells for the F-150 are made using giant aluminium alloy sheets.
Previously, those parts that remained after the body panels had been stamped would be reused, but downgraded to lower value “secondary aluminium”. Now Ford is recycling those parts into the body-stamping process, avoiding any requirement to downgrade.
And in Europe, current products applying a light-weighting philosophy include the BMax, Fiesta, allnew Mondeo and all-new S-Max – delivering greater strength, improved safety with reduced weight, and enhanced sustainability.
The latest Mondeo features an industry-first application of hydroformed high-strength steel. This is used to produce the A-pillars, B-pillars, and roof rails. A new magnesium inner tailgate structure for the four- and five-door models delivers a weight-saving of approximately 40 percent compared to a traditional steel equivalent.
The company’s engineers are now developing new production processes using low-cost, highvolume carbon fibre composites in future products. Used in aircraft production and racing cars, tailored carbon fibre provides high strength with extreme low weight. Working in partnership with DowAksa,
Ford aims to reduce the energy needed to produce carbon fibre components, cut the cost of raw materials and develop recycling processes.
“This opportunity builds upon Ford’s current joint development agreement with Dow Chemical and accelerates our timeline to introduce carbon fibre composites into high-volume applications,” Wesemann said.
“This collaboration helps us accelerate our efforts to create lighter automotive-grade composite materials that benefit customers by enabling improved fuel economy without sacrificing strength.” In exploring how cars could be more environmentally friendly, Ford also is investigating the use of a wide range of renewable resources. Among them is a shrub called guayule, found in Arizona, in the US, which is being investigated there for its potential to reduce the amount of rubber that is imported for use in auto production. Further plant-based rubber alternatives Ford is looking into include dandelions, sunflowers, and sugar cane.
Working with H.J. Heinz Company, Ford is also investigating the use of the dried tomato skins that are a byproduct of Heinz Ketchup production. These tomato skins could become the wiring brackets in a Ford vehicle, or the storage bins used to hold coins and other small objects.
Ford has already used a hybrid plastic-metal for the first time, in the front grille of the Ford Focus, and created a prototype glove box using the sisal plant. As part of the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance, Ford also supports the responsible development of plastics made from plant material. The goal is to help to build a more sustainable future for the bioplastics industry.