Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG Receives Internationale Gesellschaft für Kunststofftechnik, SPE Central Europe Automotive Award
BONN, GERMANY (11 November, 2022) – Kautex Textron GmbH & Co., KG (Kautex), a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced it has received an Automotive Division Award from the Internationale Gesellschaft für Kunststofftechnik, SPE Central Europe for its Pentatonic battery system. The award was presented at the Society’s annual Awards Event in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The Pentatonic battery system received the award in the Enabler Technology category. The system is constructed from lightweight thermoplastic composite in a one-step molding process. The enclosure offers numerous advantages to OEMs, including a reduced carbon footprint (an average of 55% compared to aluminum housings), a one-shot production process allowing direct feature integration and inherent protection from corrosion and leakage versus its metal counterparts.
“We are honored to be recognized by the SPE during this event,” said Felix Haas, director Product Development for Kautex. “The award symbolizes not only the strides Kautex has made to provide OEMs innovative, practical solutions on the journey to electrification, it also celebrates the hard work and commitment of our employees who have made this recognition possible.”
To ensure the company was prepared to design and produce battery systems for customers world-wide, Kautex announced the purchase and installation of its first 5500-ton compression molding machine last year. Overcoming several delays due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the machine is commissioned, and the team is finalizing the official acceptance of the equipment in preparation of customer visits and trials. More recently, in cooperation with LANXESS, the developer of the polyamide 6 material, the Pentatonic battery system underwent rigorous testing in accordance with internationally recognized standards including the Chinese GM38031 standard and the ECR R100 from the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). The system successfully met the requirements for numerous tests including mechanical shock, crush, drop, vibration and bottom impact testing. Additionally, the company has installed a system in a vehicle demonstrator that will be shown to customers throughout the region.
“We were very pleased with the performance of our Pentatonic system in these recent testing events,” continued Mr. Haas. “Successfully meeting the requirements of internationally recognized standards was a key step in proving the value and technical feasibility of thermoplastics as a reliable, innovative option to the existing enclosure solutions.”