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125yearsVol. 198 • Issue 1

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From “quantity ofmiles” to “qualityof coverage”

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Windshield-mounted

LiDAR
clears way for
ADAS rollout

Innovations in bonding
technology paving the roadfor vehicles of the futureSika Powercure
System breaks
bonding barriers

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visit ai.com.ai“Sika was the first company to provide both, structuralassembly-line and body shop adhesives for bonding mixedmaterials such as steel, aluminum and composites – as arebonded together in the BMW 7series.”– Urs Jaeger, Head Research & Development Sika Global Automotive. Page 10

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES (ISSN 1099-4130)
Volume 198 • Number 1 • APRIL 2019

Published Quarterly by Automotive Industries Ltd.
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PAGE 8The entry-level HARMAN Digital Cockpit can also seamlessly integratewith a user’s smartphone to bridge multiple personal assistants.

JAMES HILTON
Shows Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
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Intro – Auto Industry 4.0 is actually customer 1.0............................................................................... 4

CLINTON WRIGHT
Environmental Technologies Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
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Sika – Innovations in bonding technology paving the road for vehicles of the future ........................ 8JON KNOX
Fuels & Future Fuels Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
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ALAN TRAN
Vehicle Systems - Interior Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
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RON CHARLES
Innovation Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
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HARMAN International – Protecting consumers from in-vehicle information overload........................ 6IONITY – Preparing the charging infrastructure for EV rollout........................................................... 10Transatel – Seamless cross-country connectivity without roaming fees............................................12
Magna – Where electrification, autonomy and smart mobility intersect.............................................14Cognata – Simulation needed for AI systems to drive a billion miles..................................................16Foretellix – From “quantity of miles” to “quantity of coverage”...........................................................18
Mitsui – Chemical industry holds unlimited potential for next-generation autos................................ 20

ROB WHITE
Vehicle Systems - Exterior Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
advertising@autoindustry.us • +44 (0) 798 495 0355

VAYAVISION – New era for autonomous vehicle identification of the “unexpected”.......................... 22

TONY TICKNER-DAVISONEngineering & Design Press Releases and Advertising Enquiries:
TTD@autoindustry.us • + 44 (0) 797 089 9943

AGC Automotive – Behind the first infrared transparent windshield for LiDAR.................................. 26

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XenomatiX – Windshield-mounted LiDAR opens door to ADAS rollout............................................. 24

BorgWarner – powertrain partner geared up to meet all propulsion needs...................................... 28
PPG – New products reduce paint shop costs................................................................................. 30
Reinventing mobility – the Baden – Württemberg way...................................................................... 32
BIMS 2019 – celebrating the enjoyment of (electric) automobiles..................................................... 36
Milliken – HPN nucleators create new design opportunities............................................................. 38

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3

innovation

Sika was the first company to provide both, structural“assemblyline and body shop adhesives for bonding
mixed materials such as steel, aluminum and composites”– as are bonded together in the BMW 7series.

Innovations in bonding
technology paving the roadfor vehicles of the future
By: Tony Tucker

New bonding technology is needed for the next generations of IC, hybrid, electric and autonomous cars. Lightweightbodies, the growing use of mixed materials, E-vehicle modules such as battery and drive systems and increasing
proportions of electronics components require new generations of bonding tools.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Urs Jaeger, Head
Research & Development Sika Global Automotive, for insight
into what is driving some of the underlying design trends.
Jaeger: The need for fuel efficiency and EV range extension
lead to lightweighting concepts which involve the bonding of
mixed materials. Lightweighting technologies are now also
being carried to and deployed in the mid-range and small carmarkets. An important topic gaining momentum and affecting
the specialty chemicals sector is the trend towards lower
emissions and reduced odor, driven on the one handby stronger regulations, but also by consumerUrs Jaeger, Head
Research & Development
Sika Global Automotivesentiment towards the different perception of odors in
different cultures, leading to demand for "smell-free" cars.
There are further trends to mention: ongoing globalization,
scarcity of resources, energy and waste reduction, increased
individualization of cars and the market preference for SUVs oversedans, which all impact our business to a certain extent.
AI: How is Sika Automotive innovating for the “cars” ofthe future?
Jaeger: Our research programs address identified needs inorder to develop solutions which enable future car concepts. We
actively monitor soft trends and mobilize as they gain momentum.
We started to investigate structural bonding solutions for mixedmaterial bonding, both for body shop as well as for assembly line
8applications more than a decade ago – before it was requested byour customers. One of these programs yielded our Sikaflex® UltraHigh Modulus Polyurethane Adhesive technology which enabled
structural bonding of the CFRP car body to the aluminum chassis of
the BMW i3. A second pillar for our innovations is close cooperation
with our development partners; customers, suppliers, peers andindustry institutes. Understanding our customers plans and futureneeds are key to developing value-adding solutions.
AI: How different are the materials required forelectric and hybrid car manufacturers from thosealready in use?
Jaeger: Electric cars offer many new
applications for sealing and bonding when you
consider the elimination of traditional powertrain
components, and in design and assembly as
both native or non-native BIW configurations.
Unique materials are required not only tobond the battery boxes and other electricalcomponents, but also components within them.
In batteries, heat management is of utmost
importance. Therefore, thermal conductive sealants
and potting adhesives are needed to manage heattransfer. Further, batteries need to be protected against
mechanical impact as well as against heat in case of an accident.
Here is where our unique reinforcing solutions and intumescent fire
rated coatings can make a big difference.
For comfort, the missing sound of the combustion engine
allows road and wind noise to become dominant to vehicle
occupants. In this NVH area our acoustic expertise contributesto achieve high levels of sound comfort through placement of ourreinforcers, airborne noise blocking baffles and structure borne
vibration damping solutions at the right spot.
AI: What technological breakthroughs has yourcompany made in developing materials that makevehicles better?

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STORIES GO TO www.ai-online.com

Jaeger: Examples run far and wide. Sika was the firstcompany to provide both, structural assembly line and body shop
adhesives for bonding mixed materials such as steel, aluminumand composites – as are bonded together in the BMW 7series. OurSikaflex® UHM assembly line adhesive technology was honored with
an Automotive News Pace award, our SikaPower® MBX body shop
adhesive technology was a finalist for the Altair enlighten award, andour UltraLite damper was an Altair Enlighten award winner.
Sika has developed many other innovations and industry leading
products, such as dampers with the best sound performance
to weight ratio and our high strength bonded (HSB) Polyamide
reinforcers for maximizing improvement of the crash performanceof steel structures. We also play a leading role in Monomer or VOC
reduced adhesive systems and were the first to introduce a VOC
free direct glazing system, through deployment of water based
pretreatments. We lead the industry in repair solutions with our Sika
PowerCure system, enabling windshield replacement in less than 30
minutes and our unique 2C-Epoxy adhesive for car body repair, which
combines the highest modulus (stiffness) and impact peel (crashresistance). We are soon introducing a new generation of proprietary
2C-PUR adhesives branded Cure-on-demand technology wherewe are able to manage open time and curing speed separately, andof course the entire innovation pipeline remains full.
AI: Tell us a little about the role Sika’s adhesive products
have had in car manufacture/assembly.
Jaeger: Sika solutions are developed to meet real industry
needs, and not just to offer me-too products. Sika was the firstcompany to introduce black primer-free direct glazing adhesives,
followed later on by Sika HydroPrep® water-based systems.
We enabled the successful combination of antenna suitability
combined with direct fixation of windscreens, structural bondingof mixed substrates and classification-free hotmelt lamination
adhesives, just to name some.
Introducing innovations requires a close co-operation withthe customers, since innovation means change and not justreplacement. The customer must be involved in the wholedevelopment process in order to understand the benefits andrisks of the new systems very well in order to change. We call thisCourage for Innovation because it requires commitment, we callour results Value Added Solutions.
AI: Similarly, how have your acoustic applications been
impacted by the changing demands of the automotive sector?
Jaeger: There are several dozen baffle and damper partsin the modern car which contribute to noise reduction. Sikacontinues to bring innovations to the market such as lighter
weight baffles with highest sealing performance and new
ultra-lightweight constrained layer dampers, which enables
weight savings up to several kilograms per car compared tostandard systems.
Our acoustics innovation is not only in our materials but also
in core competencies of acoustic engineering and parts design.
Sika experts in our modern acoustic technical centers canhelp our customers through extensive full body testing to exact
placement of the parts to achieve maximum noise reduction
while our engineers create best possible optimized parts designs,
many of which are now and remain patent protected.
AI: What technologies are in the early stages at Sika’s
R&D division?
Jaeger: Usually we do not talk about our chickens before
they are hatched, but I can assure you that we are continuously
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creating future technologies. We spend over 25% of ourdevelopment time on future technologies, many of them yearsaway. Based on the identified megatrends we are working on
further solutions for e-vehicles, and a range of products curing
at lower e-coat oven temperatures or over shorter oven duration
times. We also are pushing hard to develop a new platform ofpolyurethane adhesives with a new set of properties, having a big
impact on assembly bonding applications.
AI: How are your R&D programs affected by regionalrequirements?
Jaeger:Requirements differ between customers andsometimes even at the same customer between the regions.
There are both different regional government regulations, andcustomer expectations. What is also important to consider isglobal availability of raw materials as we formulate the future.
Customer requirements also differ in EHS related issues (whichand how much VOC, emissions, odor, etc. are allowed). Assembly
process related differences also can present a challenge. Fully
automated and climate-controlled environments have different
needs compared to a manually applied processes in a hot andhumid region without climatic control.
A key Sika differentiator is proximity to customers. We havestrong development teams established in every region whocollaborate regularly within our networks. So, even if a big part ofour business is global, regional or local adaptations and interfaces
are readily enabled. We maintain close and good collaboration
between these development teams, which is crucial to roll out our
technical innovations fast and successfully. AI

Extensive Laser Vibrometer testing quantifies damping
material performance in both development projects
and in targeted application packages for OEMs.

STORIES GO TO www.ai-online.com

9THE BROADEST RANGE OF BONDING
AND SEALING SOLUTIONS. PERIOD.
SIKA OFFERS AN UNMATCHED RANGE OF INNOVATIVE ADHESIVE AND SEALANT SOLUTIONS FOR VEHICLEBODY AND COMPONENT STRUCTURE, ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE, AND INTERIOR/EXTERIOR ASSEMBLY.
SEE FOR YOURSELF AT SIKAAUTOMOTIVE.COM.
SikaPower®
SikaPower® MBX

High-strength bonding for crash-durable and structural applications on conventional andnon-conventional substrates - including mixed-material bonding

Sikaflex®
Sikaflex® UHM

High-performance, primerless PUR adhesives for bonding a wide variety of substrates,
including lightweight and dissimilar materials

SSikaDamp®

cavity sealing and sound isolation in critical noise paths

SikaReinforcer®

SikaMelt®
SikaTherm®

Precision-engineered, lightweight, crash and structural reinforcement inserts, integrated
to create lighter-weight, high-performance structures

meeting requirements for low emissions, easy application and short cycle times

LIGHTER | STRONGER | SAFER | QUIETER | GREENER
BETTER VEHICLES START WITH SIKA