SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Federal-Mogul has announced that the company’s environmentally friendly QuietShield GRN insulation product, which first debuted on the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, also will be used by General Motors to help eliminate cabin noise in the new 2012 Buick Verano.
Comprised of recycled cardboard packaging and other byproducts normally discarded at vehicle manufacturing plants, QuietShield GRN (Green Non-woven) is used as acoustical material in the Verano’s headliner to reduce noise in the passenger compartment. QuietShield GRN represents an effective solution, versus traditional noise-dampening materials, that helps reduce waste disposal and associated costs, Federal-Mogul says.
"Producing QuietShield from materials that would otherwise be difficult to reuse enables Federal-Mogul and our customers to progress collaboratively to improve the environment," said Ramzi Hermiz, senior vice president, Vehicle Safety and Protection, Federal-Mogul. "We are extremely pleased to see Buick extend this innovation to another exciting new vehicle in its line-up."
Automotive manufacturing plants receive numerous parts for delivery to the assembly line in packaging made of cardboard and other materials. Some of these containers are made of recyclable materials, while others are not. The auto manufacturer typically pays to transport packaging and other refuse to a recycling center or landfill. These materials may include domestic cardboard, carpet fibers, recycled yarns and fabrics, plus certain Asian cardboards not previously thought to be recyclable due to short fiber length construction.
To form QuietShield GRN, recyclable materials collected at the auto manufacturing plant are shredded, combined with other recycled materials and bonded using a proprietary Federal-Mogul manufacturing process. The process, which renders the sorting of cardboard by fiber type unnecessary, was developed by Federal-Mogul engineers with expertise in the development and manufacture of high-performance, textile-based protection products.
The Federal-Mogul material can be produced at a thickness ranging from 5mm to 25mm and can be supplied in die-cut forms or as roll goods ranging from 10 inches to 75 inches in width. Additional variables can include attenuation level, composition, compression, weight and springback.
QuietShield GRN is used by automotive manufacturers and in other industries to fabricate linings and sound-deadening padding in headrests, headliners, door and kick panels and trunk liners to abate noise that would otherwise enter the vehicle’s cabin. QuietShield GRN also can be used in commercial or industrial environments where noise abatement or isolation is required. Such non-vehicle applications could range from building construction materials to dishwashers, for example.
"QuietShield provides a clear benefit to manufacturers, consumers and the environment," Hermiz added. "The interest from OEMs has been very strong. We are launching QuietShield applications with multiple automotive OEMs, and we expect to see QuietShield appear in other vehicle segments and in other non-vehicle markets in the near future."
The Federal-Mogul QuietShield GRN technology was developed by the company’s Systems Protection group, which produces Bentley-Harris brand protection products. Bentley-Harris is one of the world’s foremost suppliers of solutions to protect components from electromagnetic and mechanical interference as well as noise, vibration and thermal conditions in passenger and commercial vehicles.
