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The wire, cable and wiring systems specialist Leoni received this year’s “Intelligence for Transportation and Logistics” innovation prize of the Center for Transportation & Logistics (CNA) in Nuremberg for its new kind of metallisation process called Flamecon. This technology, developed entirely at Leoni, enables automated application of the finest metallic structures for electrical functions to different base materials such as plastic, wood, ceramics and metal. Before about 40 participants representing government as well as the business and scientific communities, Uwe H. Lamann, member of Leoni AG’s Board and President of its Wiring Systems division, accepted the prize on 11 July in Nuremberg: “Power of innovation and the ability to respond flexibly to changing conditions are mainstays of our corporate philosophy. We regard having been awarded this CNA innovation prize as substantiation of the outstanding and successful work of our colleagues in the Research and Development department,” said Lamann.
With this innovation prize, the CNA annually commends companies that, through innovative products or services, are making a special contribution to lasting environmental protection and economic growth, to safeguarding jobs as well as to sustaining the ability of the Bavarian economy to compete. Jürgen Nutz, chairman of the CNA, explained the jury’s decision: “With Flamecon, Leoni has developed a process that points the way to the future; that opens up entirely new opportunities for functionalising surfaces and components. We see major potential for its use in a wide variety of different markets.”
Increasing complexity and function integration
The constantly rising demands in the areas of safety, comfort and infotainment are driving further increase in the proportion of electronics in motor vehicles and other modes of transport. Persistent cost pressure, tight installation space and environmental protection requirements call for creative solutions to address this mounting complexity. One of the key approaches in this respect is to research innovative technologies to integrate new functions in existing components. As a systems provider to the international motor vehicle industry as well as other transport sectors such as rolling stock engineering and shipbuilding, Leoni was early to respond to this trend and in 2002 established its Technology & Innovation research and development department. It has since then focused, alongside other projects, on possible way to functionalise surfaces by applying metallic structures to them. For example, plastic components that previously performed purely mechanical or decorative purposes can thereby be used for electrical functions.
Computer-controlled metallisation process
Leoni’s engineers and scientists devised an automated, thermo-kinetic application process by involving special technologies such as thermal spraying as well as other processes like “printing” with a stream of molten metal. This involves feeding metals like copper, zinc or aluminium through a regulator into a chamber heated to high temperatures. The metal particles are molten and fed computer-controlled via a gentle carrier gas flow onto the surface of plastics, wood, ceramics or metal. Here a conductive coating, the thickness and width of which can be varied by operating parameters, forms.
Multifaceted benefits – numerous applications
These metallic Flamecon structures are exceptionally durable and temperature resistant, adhere to virtually any surface and provide, through the option of programme-controlled application, maximum flexibility in terms of design. Environmental aspects also argue in this innovative technology’s favour because no chemicals are used, scrap is minimised and the process is exceptionally low noise compared with the previous method of thermal spraying. Flamecon has already been successfully tested for use in the automotive and electronics industries and could in the future be used, for example, for heating and for transmitting signals.
Leoni is currently studying various application options in motor vehicle-specific production solutions from both the technical process-related and commercial aspects. Specific applications, such as sensor-supported parking aids, in which Flamecon is used to functionalise a plastic bumper, could be launched on the market as early as 2010. Furthermore, research on the technology’s potential is ongoing with a network of innovative companies and research institutions in the metropolitan region of Nuremberg.
