Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2024 - 8

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
MATERIALS | MANUFACTURING
Bemis, BASF develop lightweight hydraulic tank for compact excavators
The hydraulic tank uses a BASF PA6 grade of Ultramid reinforced with 30% short glass-fiber that's
optimized for vibration-weld joint strength and high-temperature fatigue strength.
Bemis Manufacturing and BASF collaborated
to develop a lighter-weight and
lower-cost hydraulic tank for compact
excavators that was recognized with a
lightweighting award traditionally reserved
for automotive innovations.
Receiving an honorable mention in the
Enabling Technology category of this
year's Altair Enlighten Awards, the development
team leveraged a combination of
injection molding and vibration welding
techniques to lower costs by approximately
20% and reduce mass by about 5%
compared to the traditional roto-molding
process. The solution also is more ecoefficient,
delivering both environmental
savings (reductions in lifecycle CO2
emissions)
and reducing lifecycle costs.
The awards were presented in August
at the Center for Automotive Research's
Management Briefing Seminars in
Traverse City, Michigan. The hydraulic tank
also won recognition in September at the
2024 SPE Automotive Composites
Conference & Exhibition for Most
Innovative Part in the production category.
" We needed a way to produce large,
complex parts with shorter cycle times,
while reducing secondary processing
waste, " Jeff Lallensack, senior project
engineer at Bemis Manufacturing, said in
a statement. " The BASF team under8
October 2024
stands our business and their engineering
expertise in vibration welding improved
the functional performance of the hydraulic
tank by successfully containing
vibration weld flash during processing. "
The hydraulic tank uses a BASF polyamide
6 (PA6) grade, Ultramid B3WG6
GPX BK23238, reinforced with 30% short
glass-fiber. BASF says this specific grade
of Ultramid is optimized for exceptional
vibration-weld joint strength and hightemperature
fatigue strength. The material
delivered performance improvements
on both static and fatigue performance
requirements. The tank met the
OEM's requirement of 100 fatigue cycles
of vacuum load at 200°F (93°C).
The development team also leveraged
BASF's CAE expertise, specifically
its Ultrasim and Burst Failure Index
(BFI)-for-weld methodology, to optimize
part geometry and meet performance
requirements. The hydraulic tank
measures approximately 790 x 350 x
465 mm (31.1 x 13.8 x 18.3 inches).
" We had the challenge of developing
one of the largest hydraulic tanks ever
injection molded. We used a [2200 US
Ton] two-barrel injection machine to
mold both halves of this tank and subsequently
join them via vibration welding
technology, " Andy Raml, president of
BASF also provided accurate simulation
predictions used in the design FMEA process
for the hydraulic tank.
Bemis Manufacturing, said at the Altair
Enlighten Awards ceremony. " BASF is a
phenomenal partner, not only providing
enhanced materials but also [delivering]
accurate simulation predictions used in
the design FMEA (failure mode and effects
analysis) process to ensure we
could achieve the integrity and the pressure
requirements of the tank. "
Equipped with two barrels, the injection
molding machine enables both components
to be molded simultaneously.
This process assisted in significantly reducing
cycle time compared to rotomolding,
which requires secondary operations
such as drilling holes for oil inlets
that can lead to fluid contamination. The
new process also supports the potential
for increased production volumes.
" At BASF, collaborative innovation
with our customers ... and customer-led
engineering is crucial to their success as
well as ours, " Ankur Bhosale, senior
principal engineer of performance materials
at BASF, said in a statement. " As
a team, we made the impossible possible
by delivering approximately 20%
cost savings to our customer partners
while delivering an eco-efficient solution.
It's a true demonstrator of the
power of co-creation. "
Ryan Gehm
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
FROM LEFT: SAE/RYAN GEHM; BASF

Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2024

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