The automotive industry in the twenty-first century is all about safety, energy efficiency and economy. The number of components is constantly increasing and their functions are ever more complex, so high-performance materials like high-tensile and stable metals play a critical role in the construction process for manufacturers and suppliers. Design engineers at GKN Sinter Metals in Bad Langensalza have begun using an innovative process that gives them a degree of freedom that they previously only enjoyed when working with plastics. The company’s new technology makes it possible to make complex sintered parts with superior technical properties using injection-molded metal powder at reasonable cost and also requires less material.
This Thuringian company is part of GKN plc, an international technology group with more than 50,000 staff in at least 30 countries, working mainly for customers in the automotive and aerospace industries. Its factory in Bad Langensalza is one of the biggest producers of injection-molded parts in Europe and is well known for applying its skill in injection molding to manufacture highperformance pump parts from plastic. The company’s eventful history dates back to the early 1960s; it presently has about 100 employees. (kö)
<link http: www.gkn.com mim _blank external-link-new-window>www.gkn.com/MIM
