PRESS RELEASE
February 29, 1996
Lightweight cast-iron blocks
for the engine of the future

A breakthrough in casting technology is offering the automotive industry the possibility of reducing vehicle engine weight without the need to use expensive light alloys. One of the motor manufacturers now evaluating the Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI), produced by the SinterCast process, is General Motors' German subsidiary, Adam Opel AG.

Based on a Swedish invention, the Swedish innovation company SinterCast has developed and patented a foundry process control system capable of producing Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI) on an industrial scale.

Significant advantages
Compared with grey iron, SinterCast CGI has significantly greater strength, stiffness, and wear resistance, offering the motor industry new possibilities for reducing weight, noise and vibration levels as well as friction losses, which mean improved performance and emission levels.

Competition tested
When Opel decided to take part in the German Touring Car Championships (DTM), they chose the Opel Calibra with its 2.5 litre V6 engine as the base. The company's engineers designed an engine block optimised for SinterCast CGI which was some 20 % lighter than a standard block but still considerably stronger, enabling the weight-to-power ratio to be reduced from 0.452 to 0.128 kg/kW - a reduction of almost 72%!

Considered for standard cars
On the basis of the positive experiences from the DTM series and in order to evaluate SinterCast CGI further, Opel made test castings of an engine block for its 2-litre "Familie II"-series, and initiated a test programme which is still in progress. According to the company, the block was machined without problems on an existing production line at Kaiserslautern.
On bench tests over the whole speed range, noise reductions of between 1.1 and 1.7 dB(A) were measured compared with engine blocks in grey iron. Significantly improved vibration characteristics were also noted.
In order to evaluate the possibilities for weight reduction, Opel redesigned the engine block in its 1.4/1.6/1.8 litre "Familie I"-engine so that it could still be machined on the existing transfer lines. The result was an engine block which (before machining) weighed 30.0 kg compared to the 40.4 kg of the standard block in grey iron. This correspondes to a weight reduction om 25.7 %.
Before taking a final decision to use SinterCast CGI for mass production, Opel is presently carrying out a series of tests which include the machining of 1,000 engine blocks of the "Familie I"-type on an existing transfer line, measuring cylinder bore distortion with and without the cylinder head mounted, a number of noise and vibration tests, and further tests of wear resistance.
These tests will also be of relevance for assessing the cost effectiveness of the SinterCast CGI for diesel engines - an area where the material is expected to have particular advantages.
"Given the very positive market forecasts for diesel powered passenger cars for the next decade, SinterCast CGI is truly the automotive material of the future", says SinterCast's CEO, Bertil Hagman./ins

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Caption:
Several tests have been carried out of engine blocks made in compacted graphite iron, with very positive results.



For further information see attached list of contact addresses.


Germany
SinterCast GmbH
Feldbergstrasse 48
614 40 Oberursel
Tel: +49 6171 639 00
Fax: +49 6171 639 060
Germany

Japan
SinterCast K.K
Dai 2 Kazu Bldng, 2/F
Shimbashi 5 chome 31-6
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
Tel: +81 3 3438 4435
Fax: +81 3 3438 4436
Japan

Korea
Liason Office, Swedish Embassy
Boyung Bldg, Th floor, 108-2
Pyung-Dong, Chongro-Ku. Seoul
Tel: +82 2 720 47 67
Fax: +82 2 733 13 17
Republic of Korea

Sweden
Johan Marcks von Würtemberg
SinterCast AB
Box 10203
S-100 55 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 660 7750
Fax: +46 8 661 7979

UK
Mr E. Michael Garston SinterCast Ltd
77 South Audley Street
London W1Y 5TA
UK
Tel: +44 71 491 95 76
Fax: +44 71 499 3941

USA
SinterCast Inc
1000 N. Opdyke, Suite A
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2672
USA
Tel: +1 810 370 03 10
Fax: +1 810 370 03 70


















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Germany
SinterCast GmbH
Feldbergstrasse 48
614 40 Oberursel
Tel: +49 6171 639 00
Fax: +49 6171 639 060
Germany

Japan
SinterCast K.K
Dai 2 Kazu Bldng, 2/F
Shimbashi 5 chome 31-6
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
Tel: +81 3 3438 4435
Fax: +81 3 3438 4436
Japan

Korea
Liason Office, Swedish Embassy
Boyung Bldg, Th floor, 108-2
Pyung-Dong, Chongro-Ku. Seoul
Tel: +82 2 720 47 67
Fax: +82 2 733 13 17
Republic of Korea

Sweden
Johan Marcks von Würtemberg
SinterCast AB
Box 10203
S-100 55 STOCKHOLM
Sweden
Tel: +46 8 660 7750
Fax: +46 8 661 7979

UK
Mr E. Michael Garston SinterCast Ltd
77 South Audley Street
London W1Y 5TA
UK
Tel: +44 71 491 95 76
Fax: +44 71 499 3941

USA
SinterCast Inc
1000 N. Opdyke, Suite A
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2672
USA
Tel: +1 810 370 03 10
Fax: +1 810 370 03 70