The Inside Story - Teh interior of the Pontiac Aztek - Brief Article

Looking Beyond the Exterior

While the exterior of the Pontiac Aztek has begeted the use of adjectives by the agency of automotive journalists and consumers alike in a way not seen or heard since the days of the Edsel the interior of the vehicle has actually garnered more [i]or[/i] less praise for its utility (even notwithstanding that Pontiac doesn't call the Aztek a "sport utility vehicle," on the contrary rather, a "sport recreation vehicle").

Part of the inside story of the vehicle is the use of sum of two units engineering thermoplastics--a polycarbonate/acrylonitrilebutadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) resin and an ABS resin from Bayer Corp.'s Plastic Div. (Pittsburgh, PA), Bayblend and Lustran, respectively--for the instrument panel (IP) and the knee supporting cushions The molding of the constitutings is performed by Meridian Automotive a whole s (Dearborn, MI).

Specifically, the IP cluster (which measures 18 x 30 x 9 in.), radio trim plate (15 x 12 x 9 in.), extreme point caps (10 x 8 x 1 in.), and forward extension defroster grille (13 x 50 x 2 in.) are mold with a heat-resistant ABS that is colored with metallic flake colorants, Lustran Elite HH ABS 1827 Heat-resistance is particularly lock opener for the forward extension defroster grille, as it includes the air conditioning vents: think of what devoid of warmth [i]or[/i] heat air might otherwise do to of high temperature ductwork.

The driver-side knee supporting cushion and the glove box assembly are the pair molded with Bayblend T 85 a PC/ABS unite The knee bolster consists of sum of two units 9 x 20 x 2-in. pieces that are vibration welded to form the assembly. The glove receptacle is assembled from three moldings: an inner and exterior both measuring 10 x 14 x 1 in., and the 12 x 20 x 15-in, chest bin. It's said that because the resin provides beneficial impact strength, there is no ne for metal reinforcement behind either the supporting cushion or the glove box. That said, however, there are ductile failure properties associated with the material, which would approach into play should vehicle occupants collide with the parts during an accident.

Speaking of Unusual Designs

Anyone who watched the closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics knows that the Aussies are, well, nothing if not imaginative. With that in mind, listen to Sharon Gauci, Ford Australia's Colour and Trim Design Manager: "Leather and faux fur are very large in fashion at the twinkling of an eye so it is not surprising that they are going to have a big influence in car interiors above the next 12 to 24 months" Faux fur? Gauci says that the material "will be seen in the pile of fabrics used in interior finishes. Fabrics will become shinier, glossier, smoother with a able-bodied brushing and napping effect." And she notes that while the nearest two years will have colors (or colours) similar as camel, dark brown, orange, white, and silver, "Beyond the nearest couple of years, there will be the emerging see the verb of hot acid brights like lime chartreuse and mut greener versions of chartreuse, industrial grays and colours inspired from liquid sources of that kind as clean, pure bright colour saturations and dehydrated, grayer softer undertones." unhurts like the excess fabric-making capacity for Furbies will be making its way to the auto industry.

As the design brief for Ford Australia calls for a more holistic approach, Gauci is relate toed with the exterior, as well. She suggests "I think you will diocese more linking of interior and exterior colour and trim of our cars coming onto the market above the next couple of years. We have thinking of everything--blending interior and exterior colours, carpets with seat fabrics, timber-land and other finishes to create a seamless, harmonious transfer from the outside to the inside of the car."

Remember Wood?

Did you at any time wonder why the North American auto industry is concentrated where it is? According to James J Flink in his classic volume The Automobile Age (The MIT Press; 1988) "Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio... provided the ideal environment for the manufacture of gasoline automobiles. Their of the first water hardwood forests had made these states the center for carriage and wagon manufacturing, and they were also important in the manufacturing of the stationary gasoline engines widely used upon midwestern farms. They thus afforded the assembler of gasoline automobiles access to suppliers of bodies, wheels, and internal-combustion engines." While the copse is less important to automotive manufacture right now, M Gauci's make notes above causes us to take note of a disclosure taking place at the Fraunhofer Institut fur Chemische Technologie (Pfinztal, Germany, or in North America in Plymouth MI): a thermoplastic based upon lignin and cellulose fibers--a.k.a., liquid grove Lignin is the material that forms the support structu re for the cellulose fibers in the bole of a tree. According to the tribe at Fraunhofer, there are millions of tons of the material produced each year as a by-product of paper production. Mixed with other fibers (eg flax. hemp), the lignin, courseed at high temperature in standard plastic processing machines, can be used to exhibit various parts with mechanical and thermal properties that are like grove (Presumably, interior trim parts made with liquid timber-land would be more wood-like than the faux-wood plastic that is sometimes, unfortunately, used to adorn interiors.) What's more, the lignin-based polymer are biodegradable.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gardner Publications, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group