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Technology Stocks : Energy Conversion Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Retiarius who wrote (3621)	5/9/1999 11:45:00 AM
From: Don Devlin	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8393

Design Evolution 4, Inc. (DE4) of Lebanon, OH said it has successfully developed a manufacturing process that uses high strength composite structures to produce a complete single piece chassis for the electric-powered Sunrise automobile. "Our annual production rate of 15,000 to 20,000 units is now feasible," said DE4 president John Plessinger. "We've successfully completed the initial prototype phase and developed the necessary RTM production technology to reach our goals." DE4 said the chassis is a one piece, bumper to bumper FRP composite unit -- the largest single piece automotive composite structure to be made in the U.S. The chassis weighs 180 pounds and varies in thickness from 3/8-inch solid laminate to .100-inch thick lightweight sandwich core sections. To produce the chassis, DE4 said it developed an all-new multiple injection port system whereby one person operates the entire process from a master flow board. The process is called a sequential multi-port resin injection manifold system. Plessinger said production speeds with this system are better than he ever anticipated. "We are essentially injecting a part 112 square feet and 180 pounds in approximately 9 minutes and we think 7 minutes is feasible," he said, adding that the trick is to decrease high pressure resin flow fronts. "Now we can produce a complete 16 foot chassis in 7 to 9 minutes. We've done the impossible and I think we are ready for the marketplace." The Sunrise is a four-passenger sedan conceived by electric vehicle manufacturer Solectria Corporation. The vehicle, which uses nickel-metal hydride batteries, can reach 204 miles on the higher fuel economy test and 151 miles on the urban driving schedule, with combined city/highway driving at 179 miles. DE4 was selected to be part of the development team by Solectria, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Advanced Technology Program (a $15 million 50-50 cost-share program with the federal government). In the past DE4 has developed 15-foot composite missiles for the Air Force, 40-foot solar collectors for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, all-terrain vehicles and military tank components. Contact: DE4, phone 513-932-3100, website members.aol.com. (DESIGN EVOLUTION RELEASE: MAY 1999)