Making Use of Oversized Molded Foam Insulation
A leading motorcycle manufacturer came to Polymer Technologies with a problem: they needed to reduce the shock energy produced from an electromechanical muffler exhaust actuator in order to minimize warranty claims for premature failure of the actuator.
This motorcycle manufacturer had already developed a unique exhaust system that incorporated an electromechanical actuator that opened and closed a baffle plate in the muffler. This allowed the bike to operate very quietly with the baffle in place, or as a straight-through muffler for performance when the baffle was open.
The OEM of this exhaust system had already contacted a leading vibration isolation manufacturer who stipulated the need for over 5" of design space. This would allow for the installation of urethane foam that would reduce the shock energy from the current 40+ G's to the desired < 15 G's. The motorcycle manufacture could not spare 5" in the design and still maintain the intended functionality of the exhaust system.
Polymer Technologies' Solution: Custom Urethane Foam Insulation
After detailed conversations with Polymer's Vibration Isolation Experts, it was determined that POLYFORM® molded urethane foam would offer the necessary resilience to adequately isolate the actuator, as well as maintain the durability needed to live within the intended environment.
In close consultation with our client's engineers, Polymer Technologies was able to design a foam insulation product that required only 2.5" of space to reduce the measured shock energy from the current 40+ G's down to just 11 G's, while compressing the foam a mere 5/8".
Once this custom POLYFORM® urethane molded foam part was designed, tooled and implemented, the client's warranty claims for premature failure of the actuator were eliminated.
If you are looking for a molded foam product for your unique application, contact the experts at Polymer Technologies.
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