FEATURE/Safety-Critical Aluminum Component from INTERMET Helps Automakers Take Weight out of SUVs, Pickup Trucks and Minivans.To download high-resolution, print-ready JPEG JPEG in full Joint Photographic Experts Group Standard computer file format for storing graphic images in a compressed form for general use. JPEG images are compressed using a mathematical algorithm. images, click on the thumbnail image above. WARNING: these images are very large (800K+) Click here for caption Feature Editors/Business Editors MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4523762 FEATURE...Autos & Transportation TROY, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 26, 2003 Providing consumers a more car-like ride and handling in pickup trucks, SUVs, and minivans has often put auto designers at odds with the idea of taking weight out of the vehicle in order to achieve better mileage. A new high-tech, aluminum steering knuckle, introduced by INTERMET Corporation (Nasdaq:INMT), one of the world's leading independent manufacturers of cast-metal automotive components, is solving this dilemma. Using an innovative aluminum casting process called pressure-counter-pressure casting (PCPC PCPC Philadelphia City Planning Commission PCPC Park Cities Presbyterian Church (Dallas, TX) PCPC Partit Comunista del Poble de Catalunya PCPC Personal Computers Peripheral Corporation (TM)), INTERMET engineers have been able to duplicate the strength and ductility of heavy cast-iron or forged-steel chassis components, providing a 50-percent weight savings while maintaining critical safety and performance characteristics. Traditional light-metal casting and molding processes sometimes have turbulent and non-uniform metal flows that create limitations in performance and manufacturing cost for certain applications. PCPC controls how molten aluminum fills a casting mold to ensure uniform metal flow, and it prevents the entrance of gases (a leading cause of porosity in the metal). This results in outstanding strength and ductility for automotive structural components, which ultimately contributes to vehicle fuel efficiency. Said INTERMET CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Gary Ruff, "Prior to PCPC technology, in order to provide heavier vehicles with a car-like ride and handling, automakers would have to beef up their suspensions . . . resulting in packaging issues and additional vehicle weight. PCPC provides a real solution to these issues, without sacrificing strength, ride or safety." To date, PCPC aluminum steering knuckles are found on Chevrolet Venture The Chevrolet Venture was a minivan produced by General Motors from the 1997 to 2005 model years. It replaced the Chevrolet Lumina APV. Visually identical minivans were also sold in Europe as the Opel Sintra, and in the UK, they were badged as a Vauxhall. , Oldsmobile Silhouette The Oldsmobile Silhouette and its siblings, the Pontiac Trans Sport (and later, the Pontiac Montana) and Chevrolet Lumina APV (and later, the Chevrolet Venture), were a trio of minivans that débuted in late 1989 as 1990 models. and Pontiac Montana
The Montana is a minivan from the Pontiac division of General Motors that replaced the Pontiac Trans Sport moniker for the 1999 model year. minivans and a whole host of GM mid-sized cars. And DaimlerChrysler recently tapped INTERMET to supply PCPC steering knuckles for its new Dodge Durango The Dodge Durango is an SUV from Chrysler's Dodge brand. It debuted in the 1998 model year and was redesigned for 2004. It fills the gap in the Dodge lineup since the cancellation of the Dodge Ramcharger in 1993. . Ruff added that the company is working on a number of other aluminum safety- and structural-component programs for automakers using advanced casting techniques, in addition to PCPC. "We are committed to providing innovative solutions that meet customer needs. We must be doing something right - INTERMET parts are on every one of the top 30 selling vehicles in the U.S." With headquarters in Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 80,959, the 12th largest city in Michigan by population. , INTERMET Corporation is a manufacturer of powertrain, chassis/suspension and structural components for the automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. . INTERMET's strategy is to be the world's leading supplier of cast-metal automotive components. The company has approximately 6,000 employees at facilities located in North America and Europe. More information is available at www.intermet.com. MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=4523762 |
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