01/2004 | Plastics for all kinds of applications

More Freedom Thanks to Polymer Materials

Polymer materials play an important role in Bosch products for automotive systems and power tools. These materials range from soft gels that protect sensitive electronics subjected to harsh environmental influences over elastomer sealings and membranes to high-performance thermoplastic components for use in engine compartments. Thus, tailored polymer materials can cover a wide range of applications. Plastics have tremendous potential in the field of lightweight construction, functional integration, freedom of design, miniaturization, and noise and vibration damping.

Our products’ growing functionality increasingly requires that electronic and mechanical systems be integrated into close-tolerance components. High operating temperature ranges and mechanical stress in aggressive media put high demands on materials, component design and processing technology.

That’s why Bosch develops simulation methods for product-design and reliability assessment which include the temperature, speed and time-dependent characteristics of polymer materials. Testing times can be dramatically shortened as a result, and costs are reduced as well.

New strategies for the process-control of injection molding technologies enable mass production of high-precision thermoplastic components at continuously high quality level.