Freudenberg has been active for the last couple of decades in developing future technologies to propel ‘new mobility’. The company is known for its robust research and development at a global level which has given the world innovative solutions to support four drive technologies, including improving internal combustion engines, hybrid solutions, pure electric vehicles and those equipped with fuel cells. Sarada Vishnubhatla speaks with the heads of the company’s three different divisions, namely, sealing and filtration technologies as well as the lubrication business to know more about the journey on the path of innovation
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies
It is a leading supplier of advanced materials and products for customers working on automotive, industrial and alternate drivetrain applications. The company applies more than 150 years of engineering and materials expertise to its strategy of researching, developing and introducing innovative product and process solutions. It is focused on serving its customers’ most progressive or cutting-edge industrial opportunities and needs. Founded on its development of the Simmerring® radial shaft seal in 1929, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has continuously expanded its industrial seals and component portfolio to include a range of technology solutions.
These address critical issues like performance, power, friction, emissions and material compatibility. In addition to offering a broad range of high-quality, engineered sealing solutions, the company also works collaboratively with customers on the design and validation of custom sealing systems. In this interview, Jetinder Kumar Nath, Senior General Manager (Marketing), Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies, elaborates about the company’s products and strategies. “Currently, we are in the mode of creating awareness in the still evolving market in India and also globally. As part of our strategy, we are focusing on new developments because at some point in the future, the usage of IC engines will reduce and our products relevant for those will also have less demand,” he says.
Catering to New Mobility
“In the e-mobility segment, our new range of products includes gaskets which can seal the battery stack with the chassis. Freudenberg has developed a special way of manufacturing them which otherwise would need big machines to build them. We have developed smaller machines that can be expanded to take up the full size which is an innovative product to support our customers. Though it is not currently manufactured in India because the demand is not yet there, we are creating more awareness about its usage and benefits. We are also developing not only components of the battery stack but the stack itself.”
Creating a Niche
“Our USP is that we work on the basic materials and ultimately manufacture the whole product. Our materials meet the highest requirements of safety and performance. For example, the heat shield for the battery stack which we have developed is made of a special material that offers insulation so that heat from one battery cell does not get passed on to the other if in case of an explosion in the battery. Since these are chemicals that we are working with and temperature is a crucial parameter, the risk factor gets drastically reduced because of this special insulation.”
Future Technologies
“Globally, we are working on fuel cells and the vehicle manufacturers are working on both the batteries and the fuel cells as future technologies for e-mobility. Freudenberg is working on two key elements of the fuel cell stack – one the fuel cell itself while the other is the gas diffusion layer which allows reaction to happen between the molecules of hydrogen and oxygen. This, again, is an absolute new technology and a new product that we are currently creating awareness about. We are already supplying fuel cells for testing. FlixBus, a bus operator in Europe, offers long distance journeys and we have tied up with them, though it is a project that will pan for over the next couple of years.”
Moving in Tandem
“In terms of market readiness, India is not lagging behind as compared to the global markets. There are many tests that are being undertaken between the end-users and the manufacturers in Europe. So is the case in India. Irrespective of the geographical location, customer acceptance is what needs to be studied more because of the current price differentials between the IC engine vehicles and the e-mobility ones. Even in Europe, the production volumes are low because they are also watching the way market is evolving. So, the sooner the market evolves – be it due to environmental reasons padded by legislation or the technology evolving further to reduce the costs – the faster it will all come to India.”
Range of Innovative Solutions
“A few of our new products include pouch cell frame seal that offers safer protection for the lithium-ion battery systems, gaskets for batteries, profile to gasket (P2G) to prevent leakages, 2K housing that offers tolerance compensation during temperature fluctuations, fuel cell gaskets with precision sealing solutions for fuel cell stacks and plug and seal for batteries with high-performance thermal management. Freudenberg takes its responsibility seriously towards future solutions and one of our initiatives is called ‘LESS’ (low emission sealing solutions). The range has innovative solutions to reduce friction losses, emissions, installation space and weight.”
Freudenberg Filtration Technologies India
In many industrial processes and whenever safety is required, the filtration of air and liquids is indispensable. Filtration impacts the quality of an end-product, the productivity of a company and its contribution to environmental protection. This is why companies expect a great deal from filtration. Freudenberg Filtration Technologies stands for filtration that provides people with optimal and reliable protection. It supports companies in producing outstanding products and its motivation is to develop solutions that make filtration an important success factor. The company’s industry expertise ranges from automotive, mining and chemicals all the way to cement.
In this interview, Ashok Pandey, Senior General Manager (Automotive Division) – Freudenberg Filtration Technologies India, speaks about the company’s expertise and the solutions it provides. “Our main focus is to bring newer technologies in cabin air filters into India which are already in use in Europe, the US and elsewhere in the world. We aim to increase the efficiency levels of the products. One such innovative technology is the activated carbon filter that offers elimination of harmful gases and another solution is the anti-allergen filter. We also have recently launched fuel cell filter. We strongly believe that as the market evolves and adapts to battery vehicles, down the line we may be faced with a serious environmental concern in the form of disposal of the battery and the pollution it will give rise to. To that effect, we are providing fuel cell filters for the technology as well as humidifiers for maintaining the proper moisture content indoors,” he states.
Revolutionary Solution
“A new filter called the Edrizzi paint mist arrestor offers paint shops with cost-effective, efficient dry separation with a high paint storage capacity. Predominantly, customers used filters that had longevity of about 15-20 days because of the paint load being high. Edrizzi offers longevity four times more than that. It also reduces noise levels in the spraying area by 15 to 20 dB.”
Market Evolution
“Currently, vehicle manufacturers are still focusing primarily on the basic level of filtration. As more pollution becomes a reality, an increasing number of stakeholders are noticing the issue. As such, the solution we are providing is creating a demand in the market. We also have something called paint shop filters. When the vehicles are painted, the final finish is dependent on the superior quality that a filtration system can lend to it. And as the paint flows out, it goes into the exhaust system. If the exhaust filters are of poor quality, then it will leak into the environment. Our paint shop filters take care of such issues and make it a highly sustainable solution.”
Growth Strategy
“Our growth strategy in the future is to upgrade the awareness levels of all the stakeholders involved. We anticipate that as EVs become more of a reality, which will offer more carpet space, the filtration levels also need to be on par with, say, a hospital. The cabin must be fool-proof against dust, pollen, bacteria, fungus and allergens. Freudenberg already has the technology and we are supplying to a major global passenger car brand. Soon, we should be able to make forays into the bus segment while we are already catering to a couple of truck companies. We are market-ready, so let the market mature too.”
Klüber Lubrication India
Speciality lubricants for initial fill are at the core of this unit’s business. It offers its customers expert tribological solutions by supplying tailor-made speciality lubricants directly in almost all branches of industry and regional markets. The company’s customers include producers of components, modules, machines and systems as well as companies using this equipment for their own production or processing activities. Klüber Lubrication offers approximately 2,000 different speciality lubricants, many of them developed and manufactured to specific customer requirements. The company was established by Theodor Klüber in Munich in 1929, and to this day its headquarters is located there.
With more than 90 years of experience, ample expertise in the industry, numerous certifications, some 150 research and development engineers and other technical specialists as well as high-performance testing facilities, it is one of the leading speciality lubricants suppliers worldwide. Our 2,340 employees work for its customers in more than 30 countries. In this interview, Dinkar Pande, Associate General Manager (Global Business Team), Klüber Lubrication India, elaborates about the special features of the company’s products and its global reach. “As a market leader in specialty lubricants, our strength lies in developing niche solutions for various industries including automotive. With new mobility becoming more and more a reality, we are currently addressing the stringent requirements pertaining to this new automotive segment. For this, we are interacting with OEMs as our primary focus,” he states.
Innovative Solutions
“We have recently launched a few new innovative lubricant solutions that include electric parking brake, brake booster, CV joint and actuator lubricant for the cooling system. With cable parking brakes slowly giving way to electric parking brakes, there is more space available in the cabin to accommodate more features and the effort of the parking is also reduced drastically. This change in technology needs new lubrication solutions for the components involved. So we have developed a lubricant that is compatible with any plastic part – be it polypropylene, nylon, EPDM, elastomer or rubber.”
Electric Brake Booster
“The electric brake booster, Klubersynth RG 86-121, ensures effortless application of brakes. Until recently, the majority brake boosters used the vacuum generated by the IC engine’s intake section to operate. In the new mobility range of vehicles, since there would be no engine there would hence be no vacuum produced. Our solution provides excellent wear protection on mostly polyamide and glass fiber mating components because it is polyglycol and PTFE-based grease.”
CV Joints for Electric Vehicles
“The constant velocity or the CV joints in an electric vehicle are different from what is available in an IC engine because in an EV, the CV joints have to operate with a higher initial torque being provided by the electric motor. As a result, the CV joints face higher wear and higher temperatures. We have developed Klubersynth 74-81 that comes with special poly-urea thickener that ensures better load capacity and low friction.”
Actuator Lubricant
“Our new actuator lubricant helps maintain a constant temperature of the battery – be it hot or cold climatic conditions – and components like the gearbox or the bearings. The specially engineered PFPE or PTFE-based grease can operate from –65 degrees Celsius to 200 degrees Celsius and also provide superior material compatibility.”
Bonded Coatings
“We have products to dampen noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) and one such is bonded coating which is a permanent coating on to the surface. It not only lubricates but also acts like a parting film and besides it also eliminates the use of grease. The bonded coating application lasts longer than the conventional grease application.”