Products and Projects

InCar

ThyssenKrupp's InCar project sets the standard for the car of the near future. It contains 35 new solutions for the body, powertrain and chassis that improve functionality, reduce weight and costs, and help the climate. The "cleanest" innovations can combine to cut greenhouse gas emissions by around 5,500 kilograms per car. The InCar lifecycle assessment includes not only the emissions from 250,000 kilometers of driving but also the greenhouse gases released during production of the parts, starting with extraction of the raw materials.

InCar saves 5,500 kilograms of greenhouse gases over the lifecycle of each car.

The ThyssenKrupp Group has combined all its automotive expertise in the InCar research project, which offers innovations for the body, powertrain and chassis. The innovations have been extensively validated, so OEMs can integrate them swiftly into production.

Innovative solutions for wind turbines

Global demand for resources is growing. Energy is expensive and is becoming scarcer. How can we use energy as responsibly as possible? How can we tap unlimited energy sources? Demand for electricity from renewable energies is rising rapidly. Wind power is already playing an important role in this today and will gain further importance in the future. ThyssenKrupp with its engineering expertise offers a wide variety of solutions for these global challenges and is constantly seeking further innovative responses. Our outstanding engineering expertise also benefits our wind turbine customers in both the offshore and onshore sectors.

New coatings for cost-efficient production

LubriTreat® is a new coating process that significantly improves the forming behavior of galvanized steels. Moreover, the new coating is free of heavy metals and allows nickel-free, eco-friendly processing. LubriTreat® reduces friction during the forming process, resulting in lower die wear and reduced scrap rates. Good paint adhesion and optimum finishes are guaranteed. The patented product is suitable for all hot-dip and electrolytically galvanized steel sheet materials.

Special tools for the renewable energy market

Solar thermal tower power plants require thousands of mirrors to focus solar energy. These so-called heliostats are generally anchored on concrete foundations. Now, construction costs can be significantly reduced using a special machine we have developed to install foundations for heliostats. The vibratory machine drives thin-walled pipes quickly into the ground, with the upper part of the pipes serving as a support for the heliostat complete with all attachments. Our civil engineering equipment is also in demand for geothermal drilling operations. Drilling progress is significantly increased by inducing vibrations in the rotary drill head.

Highly flexible elevator technology

One of the most successful innovations of recent years was the TWIN – two elevator cabs traveling independently one above the other in the same shaft. This takes up much less space and provides a major gain in performance and convenience. Our Elevator business is the exclusive supplier of the TWIN technology. The success of TWIN is testimony to the growing importance of the high-rise segment: Particularly in very tall buildings, high-speed double-deck elevators and highly flexible TWIN systems complement each other ideally in transporting passengers within certain zones of a building. A good example of this is the 385 meter tall CMA Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where we installed 17 TWINs with eleven double-deck elevators and twelve further systems – including particularly energy-efficient machine-room-less designs. Almost all the high-rise products in our range were used in this project. Without the latest machinery, control and safety technologies for passenger transportation developed in recent years, such sophisticated building projects would be almost impossible to realize.

iwalk – new moving walk sets standards

The iwalk requires much less space than conventional moving walks. With the same outside dimensions, the passenger area is wider and provides greater space and comfort. The significantly lower pit depth also greatly reduces the amount of civil work required. The iwalk can even be installed on an existing floor without the need for any additional construction measures. Thanks to the new modular design, individual segments can be added or removed as required in the shortest possible time, and it is even possible to move the entire installation to a new location. The iwalk is particularly suitable for metro stations, railway stations, airports and exhibition centers – both as new installations and to upgrade existing systems. In addition the iwalk can be equipped with a new energy saving system which optimizes power consumption depending on passenger numbers without reducing operating speed.

Bio-based plastics made from succinic acid

In order to make sustainable use of resources we need to explore new ways of utilizing renewable raw materials. Since 2006 we have been developing biotechnology processes to produce plastics from renewable raw materials. One focus of the chemical industry has been the use of succinic acid as a raw material for bio-based plastics. In collaboration with a US company we have now developed a production process for this. Following successful trials on a pilot plant in Mexico, the world's first industrial-scale biotechnology succinic acid plant is now being built in Louisiana/USA.

Resource conservation in cement production

To conserve natural resources our plant specialists have developed a strategy to recycle waste and re-use heat generated in cement production. The wide-ranging measures include dispensing with fossil fuels in cement plants where possible. In combination with intensive customer support, the strategy can reduce costs and emissions enormously. One example of the many individual measures is the improved main burner, which burns raw materials into clinker in the rotary kiln. Thanks to a design change, the primary air nozzles can be adjusted from the outside during burning and adapted to the substitute fuel used.

Cylinder head cover with integrated camshafts

Our engineers and technicians used the proven Presta joining process for assembled camshafts to produce a complete cylinder head cover with integrated camshafts. This allows us to supply customers with a ready-to-install module rather than just individual camshafts. Modular designs with integrated camshafts were previously unavailable on the market. As well as reducing costs for cylinder head machining, our solution is also easier to install. Integrating the individual, finish-machined camshaft parts in the cylinder head cover makes it possible to dispense with bearing caps. This results in improved hydrodynamics, and antifriction bearings can be integrated simply and without deformation.