FAIST’s Controls and Propulsion System (CPS) division, with its R&D department, has been developing in the last twenty years several products for the automotive market. One of the main selling products, whose success made FAIST a worldwide leader supplier in the field, are actuators for turbochargers on combustion engines. Sheet metal has long been the most widely used raw material to produce this kind of actuators: according to a strategy of vertical integration, FAIST stamped most of the components internally, in its metal stamping departments operating in Europe, Asia and North America.
Recently, the urgency to reduce vehicles emissions, with the increasingly stringent emissions limits in combustion processes, widened the used and application of lighter materials, which, thanks to technological developments, can achieve previously unimagined performance levels and contribute to the tendency defined as “lightweighting”. Lightweighting is a concept in the auto industry that focuses on building cars and trucks that are less heavy, as a way to achieve not only a better handling, but also fuel efficiency. This type of focus, joint with an increasing availability, performance level and acceptance of alternative powertrains and more advanced architectures of internal combustion engines, can actually contribute substantially in reducing global transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
FAIST CPS’s product engineering department has been developing a series of new components for transmission and emission systems, focusing on a different, state-of-the-art use in hybrid systems and combustion vehicles. Some examples of these new products are an internally designed valve for Exhaust Heat Recovery Systems, and components for electric compressors and E-turbos.
Energy Recovery Systems are key players when it comes to increasing the efficiency of hybrid and combustion vehicles. The energy of the exhaust heat is transferred to the engine cooling system and is then used to warm both the engine and the cabin. This allow hybrid vehicles to operate frequently in electric mode, thus improving fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions. FAIST is developing and manufacturing, in partnership with a customer, the actuation of such a system. We are now in the phase of starting serial production for a pneumatic actuator entirely made of plastics to be fitted on Exhaust Heat Recovery Systems. At the same time, we are developing an electric actuator for such systems, with start of production expected in 2023.
An additional example of products designed and manufactured by FAIST, used on new technologies fitted on new generation vehicles are the subcomponents FAIST delivers for E-boosters. At low engine speed, the E-Booster provides boost pressure and transient engine performance. With an appropriate design of the entire system, a reduction in fuel consumption and finally exhaust gases emissions can be achieved.
FAIST’s range of products can offer to our customers several different sizes of e-actuator, available in case of different torque requirements and packaging constraints. In case of specific customization requests, we also have the possibility to develop new e-actuators according to customer requirements. All the actuators are developed and validated by FAIST R&D department, the performance of the products are certified by our laboratories, while all the plastic subcomponents are stamped in FAIST’s Injection Molding department, from the prototype phase up to the series production.
