Altair Is Looking For The Best Lightweight Ideas

2023 Author : Hannah Pearcy | [email protected] . Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:12

Altair and the Center for Automotive Research launched the Enlighten Award eight years ago to recognize ideas from the industry that drastically reduce vehicle weight, thereby meeting emissions targets and reducing costs.

The Enlighten Award is presented in four categories:

• Full Vehicle - outstanding lightweight construction achievements for a complete vehicle.
• Modules - lightweight innovations in a subsystem or component.
• Enabling Technology - any developments that enable lightweight innovations for automobiles, such as B. a material or a connection technology.
• Future of Lightweighting - innovative ideas, materials, processes and technology that have great potential for lightweight construction, but have so far not been used in vehicle production.

80 kg lighter Ferraris convinced the jury

Seven projects were recognized in 2019, including:

• Ferraris Portofino, which was 80 kg lighter and at the same time 35 percent stiffer than the discontinued previous model.
• FCA's 4th generation Jeep Wrangler, which was 92 kg lighter than the previous generation, and which followed a modern strategy using lightweight aluminum, an SMC fiber-plastic composite, and high-strength steel.
• ZF won the module category with its latest knee airbag (KnAB) design, closely followed by General Motors & Continental Structural Plastics with the CarbonPro pick-up box.
• A feasibility study for #Ultraleichtbausitz, a joint project by Alba Tooling & Engineering, Automotive Management Consulting GmbH and CSI Entwicklungstechnik GmbH. Behind #Ultraleichtbausitz is the idea of completely rethinking the design of vehicle seats from scratch - by using the latest generative technology in accordance with the "Form Follows Force" philosophy.
• Material Sciences for MSC Smart Steel, the very first low-density spot weldable composite used in a body application.

The winners from 2019 in the picture gallery:

Picture gallery

Picture gallery with 6 pictures

Entries for the 8th Enlighten Award must be submitted by May 31, 2020. The final evaluation will take place in June, and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on August 4 at the annual CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) in Traverse City, Michigan.