Testing Trends

Poppe +Potthoff Maschinenbau in an interview with “Automotive Testing Technology International”

Werther/Nordhausen (Germany), May 19, 2016 - In an interview with “Automotive Testing Technology International”, Frank Baudler, CTO at Poppe + Potthoff Maschinenbau, discusses the need for more stringent testing of plastic and lightweight components found in engines.

What are the current trends in powertrain development?

The need for clean and efficient combustion is increasing. This is mainly achieved by raising the pressure of the injection system, which places high demands on the components used. We have seen this in the development of diesel engines. Now, this trend is additionally being fueled by engines using gasoline and mixtures with bio-fuels.

What challenges does this present?

Where the pressure – and therefore the heat – is on the rise, vehicle developers need to consider the impact of gasoline and bio-fuels on the components and systems that are made of metal or plastic. They must also ensure that the compressive strength and temperature stability is sufficient under oscillating and continuous stress, and that the gas tightness is assured even after thousands of utilization cycles. We believe that in future we will see an even stronger need to test plastic and lightweight components under pressure. More automated quality approval is also a focus for the industry.

How is P+P developing its technology to meet these challenges?

P+P can offer a full range of high pressure testing technology for gasoline and diesel applications as well as gas fuelled systems and pumps. Our test stands achieve up to 6,000 bar impulses at up to 30Hz, for example. Meanwhile, our current machine for gasoline injection systems tests with up to 2,000 bar at a frequency of up to 2Hz and 10Hz.

Poppe + Potthoff Maschinenbau will be at stand 1104 at Automotive Testing Expo Europe 2016, which takes place on May 31-June 2 in Stuttgart, Germany.  The experts for high pressure technology will also be exhibiting at the Automotive Testing Expo in China (booth 6048, September 27-29, 2016) and North America (booth 1101/1102, together with R+W Coupling Technology, October 25-27, 2016).

(from right to left): Frank Baudler, Chief Technology Officer at Poppe + Potthoff Maschinenbau GmbH in Nordhausen (Germany) together with Johannes Montag, Head of Sales and CEO Stefan Dreyer. Source: Poppe + Potthoff

Download image

Poppe + Potthoff Maschinenbau GmbH designs and manufactures test stands for measuring the strength and durability of components in automotive engineering and shipbuilding as well as other industries. The specialized machines made by the experts for high pressure technology are designed for precision and high-performance and are used in research, development and production. This includes test stands for measuring bursting pressure and tightness, impulse testing, autofrettage as well as automated testing and sorting. The company based in Nordhausen (Germany) is a member of the Poppe + Potthoff Group.

Poppe + Potthoff stands for precision. The group develops and manufactures customer-specific steel tubes, common rail subsystems, high pressure tubes, precision components, line shafts, couplings as well as specialized test stands and other machines. Poppe + Potthoff enables highly sophisticated solutions in automotive engineering and shipbuilding, machine tool building and mechanical engineering as well as other industries. The family-owned enterprise with its headquarters and technology center in Werther (Germany) was founded in 1928 and has more than 1,300 employees. Poppe + Potthoff is active in more than 50 countries with its subsidiaries and long-term partners – always in close contact with its customers.
www.poppe-potthoff.com