Metal and Plastics Technology, Production Automation
Precise material processing, modern process technology and high levels of production automation ensure reliable products even where output is high. Production researchers directly contribute making sure Bosch products fulfill their promises. Developers test new materials not just to improve quality, but also to make production more economic.
Accurate control of the combustion in an engine requires exquisite precision in the way fuel injection valves are made. The diameters of the injection orifices measure just tiny fractions of a millimeter. That’s way beyond the capabilities of conventional drills. Bosch researchers are therefore investigating manufacturing methods for these injection holes with tolerances that are presently of the order of one micrometer. To achieve the most precise results they rely on precision laser drills. A laser pulse lasting only one millionth of a millionth of a second causes the metal at the location of the orifice to evaporate. By using a succession of many such pulses the researchers drive a hole all the way through the material, bit by bit. Such micrometer tolerances must then be applied in the series production process to enable optimal control of the combustion process, low fuel consumption and minimal emissions – on a very large scale.
Visible for test purposes
An opaque liquid makes an otherwise invisible laser light up: A precision drill in action.
Fields of competence
- Chemical Surface Engineering
- Laser Material Processing, Electronic Packaging and Interconnection Technology
- Materials- and Process Engineering Metals
- Production Automation
- Plastics Engineering
