The Interior Systems Div. of Faurecia in Nanterre, France (U.S. office in Farmington Hills, Mich.), has commercialized what is believed to be the first commercial multi-axis robotic extrusion process for a plastic part in the U.S.

The Interior Systems Div. of Faurecia in Nanterre, France (U.S. office in Farmington Hills, Mich.), has commercialized what is believed to be the first commercial multi-axis robotic extrusion process for a plastic part in the U.S. The system extrudes a TPV weather seal directly onto a car-door window module, injection molded of long-glass-filled PP. The TPE seal replaces a urethane foam gasket, which had a long cure time and wasn't recyclable. Faurecia developed the process at its tech center in Germany and launched it last August at its plant in Frasier, Mich. Robotic in-situ extrusion of TPE car window gaskets over glass was developed and patented by Sekurit Saint-Gobain in Germany more than two decades ago. Robotic extrusion of gaskets over plastic was licensed by Saint-Gobain to ExxonMobil Chemical Co. (formerly Advanced Elastomer Systems) in Belgium. The robotic extrusion machinery was developed by Gepoc Verfahrenstechnik GmbH in Merzenich-Golzheim, Germany, a Saint-Gobain R&D unit recently acquired by Reis Robotics (U.S. office in Elgin, Ill.). It is now called Reis Extrusion GmbH. Reis's process uses a five-axis, jointed-arm robot to manipulate a profile die attached to an extruder by a heated flexible tube. It was used commercially in Europe to seal the belly pan under the engine compartment of Mercedes E-Class cars in the mid-1990s. Faurecia's process-which the company declined to describe-will become the standard method of producing its new car-door window modules. Faurecia: (248) 409-3500/www.faurecia.com . Reis: +49 (2275) 92 30 20 . ExxonMobil: (330) 849-5272/www.santoprene.com

ExxonMobil Chemical Co. Santoprene Specialty Products
388 South Main St. Akron, OH 44311-1059
Phone (330) 849-5000 Fax (330) 849-5599