*FORD'S SPRAY-BORE TECH to go prime time!!!!!!

[68fastback]

This just released by Ford Media!

ENERGY-EFFICIENT ENGINE TECHNOLOGY WINS FORD TEAM NATIONAL INVENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

SUMMARY:

• The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation is honoring the inventors of the Ford-patented Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) technology used to apply coatings on engine cylinder bores with the 2009 National Inventor of the Year Award
• Ford’s PTWA thermal spray coating process for aluminum engine blocks replaces heavy cast iron liners which improves an engine’s fuel efficiency by reducing engine weight and internal piston friction losses
• Ford has 95 issued and pending patents related to the new PTWA coating technology and will introduce it on its North American powertrain lineup within the next year

This is a major coup, imo!!! This is essentially the same technology used in the FR500 5.0 Cammers with seemingly good results. Remember, the 5.0 Cammers got to 5.0 (from 4.6) with bore only. 5.0 Coyote uses some bore [thinner liners] and a little stroke. The 4.6 3V uses 4mm boreliners and the new Coyote is rumored to use 2.5mm liners. Spray bore, from the papers Ford presented going back to 2001(?), may be in the vicinity 0.4-0.5mm.

Ok, I'm reading between the lines, but if the revised modular (Coyote) at 5.0 gets spray-bore, it's an oversquare 5.4 and *if* the present 5.4 high-deck is similarly revised (as Coyote was over the 4.6) it would be a 5.8 ...and with spray-bore a roughly-square 6.2 possibly with slightly improved rod-angles to boot.

This seems like a major announcement, imo, and a carefully-guarded breakthrough. As I understand it, similar technologies have been around for a while but the Ford approach is the first capable of applying it sufficiently thick, economically, and very precisely such that further machining is not required. The implication in the announcement is also that it is a highly wear-resistant and very low-friction coating as well.

Ford doesn't specifically say this, but the implication is that EcoBoost either is, or very soon will be, a spray-bore/PTWA engine. Cool stuff.

Way to go Ford!!! 95 new patents on it too!!

Here's the full media release

[Joker]

That's really cool. Seems like a pretty big breakthrough in engine evolution.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by 68fastback

This just released by Ford Media!

ENERGY-EFFICIENT ENGINE TECHNOLOGY WINS FORD TEAM NATIONAL INVENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

SUMMARY:

• The Intellectual Property Owners Education Foundation is honoring the inventors of the Ford-patented Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) technology used to apply coatings on engine cylinder bores with the 2009 National Inventor of the Year Award
• Ford’s PTWA thermal spray coating process for aluminum engine blocks replaces heavy cast iron liners which improves an engine’s fuel efficiency by reducing engine weight and internal piston friction losses
• Ford has 95 issued and pending patents related to the new PTWA coating technology and will introduce it on its North American powertrain lineup within the next year

This is a major coup, imo!!! This is essentially the same technology used in the FR500 5.0 Cammers with seemingly good results. Remember, the 5.0 Cammers got to 5.0 (from 4.6) with bore only. 5.0 Coyote uses some bore [thinner liners] and a little stroke. The 4.6 3V uses 4mm boreliners and the new Coyote is rumored to use 2.5mm liners. Spray bore, from the papers Ford presented going back to 2001(?), may be in the vicinity 0.4-0.5mm.

Ok, I'm reading between the lines, but if the revised modular (Coyote) at 5.0 gets spray-bore, it's an oversquare 5.4 and *if* the present 5.4 high-deck is similarly revised (as Coyote was over the 4.6) it would be a 5.8 ...and with spray-bore a roughly-square 6.2 possibly with slightly improved rod-angles to boot.

This seems like a major announcement, imo, and a carefully-guarded breakthrough. As I understand it, similar technologies have been around for a while but the Ford approach is the first capable of applying it sufficiently thick, economically, and very precisely such that further machining is not required. The implication in the announcement is also that it is a highly wear-resistant and very low-friction coating as well.

Ford doesn't specifically say this, but the implication is that EcoBoost either is, or very soon will be, a spray-bore/PTWA engine. Cool stuff.

Way to go Ford!!! 95 new patents on it too!!

Here's the full media release

I believe you are correct here Dan and I also believe the new 2011 GT500 all aluminum engine will employ this .

[CH53Driver]

Wow, this is really cool. Thanks for posting. This makes me want to hold out on a new car until that "new" BOSS mustang hits the dealer lots.

[Ebonee Princess]

Originally Posted by Birdman

I believe you are correct here Dan and I also believe the new 2011 GT500 all aluminum engine will employ this .

Thanks for the info. Amazing

[Carnut]

Interesting stuff, this might mean that cylinder blocks would be a "throw away" in the future. Not sure I like that idea.

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by Carnut

Interesting stuff, this might mean that cylinder blocks would be a "throw away" in the future. Not sure I like that idea.

In what way, carnut ...I didn't get that flavor but you may be right.

I kinda got the impression Ford was also talking about how much energy is saved to reman an engine with this method vs liners ...which would make the block highly reuseable ...unless I misunderstood that, seems like a broad-reaching tech, but dunno.

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by Birdman

I believe you are correct here Dan and I also believe the new 2011 GT500 all aluminum engine will employ this .

Interesting, George ...I hadn't heard that.

If so it also may explain the 5.0 Coyote moving out a year -- possibly no point having two versions of a well-revised engine (thin-liner and spray-bore versions). May also explain why the thin liner blocks I saw at Romeo were in plain view (even tho they didn't belong there -lol) and why the stand-engine at NYIAS had thin liners ...remember I was suprised they'd put them out in plain view. So maybe the 2.5 mm liners were so 'visible' because they're never going into production -- replaced by spray-bore?

If so, a well deserved tip of the hat to Ford for pulling off one of the most clever cloakings of a new technology. Then again, thin liners are a fine way to prove/test the new 5.0 revised modular in the interim, so that would also make sense even if they intended it for spray-bore all along ...dunno.

If you read between the lines in that mdeia brief, it must essentially be fully production-ready now to see a 2010 J1.

So even if the 2011 GT500 uses the same cylinder bore length as the current 5.4 but in alloy -- i.e. not a revised longer-cyl 5.4 like 5.0 Coyote -- it would still be capable of approx 5.8 with existing stroke ...and 6.2 if a revised longer-cyl version is ever done.

Carnut got me thinking if Ford might eventually license the technology to the aftermarket for refurbs and maybe also for new builds on bored engines and new billet alloy pieces -- maybe after some exclusive period? This might be a tech best spread around vs kept exclusive.

95 patents may be to thoroughly protect for licensing/revenue purposes, etc, vs just covering the core patents to protect from another OEM copying it. Patents are not cheap.

Also, I wasn't buying that saving 6 lbs on an engine is such a big bene for this tech -lol - so mkes me think there's a lot more going on they didn't say.

[Orf]

Originally Posted by 68fastback

...As I understand it...

You understand it better than us mortals.

I'll take your word on it.

[Johnny Dangerously]

Originally Posted by Orf

You understand it better than us mortals.

I'll take your word on it.

Ditto that.


`

[Carnut]

Originally Posted by 68fastback

In what way, carnut ...I didn't get that flavor but you may be right.

I kinda got the impression Ford was also talking about how much energy is saved to reman an engine with this method vs liners ...which would make the block highly reuseable ...unless I misunderstood that, seems like a broad-reaching tech, but dunno.

My thinking is that you may not be able to use steel liners in used blocks, bore damage does occur and in most instances would be through a thin coating. Recoating would then be the fix and only the most exotic shops could repeat the technology.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by Carnut

My thinking is that you may not be able to use steel liners in used blocks, bore damage does occur and in most instances would be through a thin coating. Recoating would then be the fix and only the most exotic shops could repeat the technology.

....and form Ford's perspective that is a very good thing. They will just sell new blocks over the counter to whoever has need of one. It might actually be a cost effective way to rebuild one of these engines.

[Carnut]

Originally Posted by Birdman

....and form Ford's perspective that is a very good thing. They will just sell new blocks over the counter to whoever has need of one. It might actually be a cost effective way to rebuild one of these engines.

Could be, I guess time will tell how the coatings actually hold up to varied abuses the customer can place on them. Stuff like 2000 horsepower, 250 degree engine temps and dirty oil.

[Birdman]

Originally Posted by Carnut

Could be, I guess time will tell how the coatings actually hold up to varied abuses the customer can place on them. Stuff like 2000 horsepower, 250 degree engine temps and dirty oil.

[68fastback]

Sounds like they're saying wear is lower than with iron (iron blocks or iron liners in alloy) and that friction isalso reduced. If so, such engines may take considerably longer to wear as much as either existing type.

Possibly this permits metalurgy not possible in a monolithic iron (block or liner in alloy) since it might be otherwise too hard/wear-resistant to machine cost-effectively (dunno) and therefore becomes feasible as a thick coating -- a metalurgically-bonded liner -- to have less friction, less wear, less heat, less oil consumption, better milage, etc, that would not otherwise be possible. This seems to be the thrust of the technology -- as well as saving several pounds, which seems incidental to me.

"The new thermal spray coating process for cylinder bores replaces these heavy liners with a low-friction, wear-resistant coating that makes the engine lighter and more efficient."

"The plasma-sprayed coating can reduce the weight of a V-6 engine, for instance, by approximately 6lb (2.7kg). It also reduces friction between the piston rings and the cylinder bore and improves oil and fuel economy as well as engine performance."

"In addition, the PTWA coating process has been used to recycle damaged and worn aluminium and cast-iron engine blocks by applying the wear-resistant coating to the cylinder bore surface. Remanufacturing engines using the PTWA process requires 50 per cent to 80 per cent less energy to produce compared with a new manufactured engine block."

I have to believe this has been painstakingly tested because this is the type of technology that, if defective, can virtually sink a company -- if not via warranty costs then via reputation damage as in GM's 70s 350 diesel fiasco. This coating tech would seem to be a rather high-risk strategic commitment with significant up-front capitalization and downstream defect risk, so Ford must be very confident and must have done extensive testing -- the FR500 racing engines undoubedly a part of that.

That said and assuming it is what they say I'm not seeing much of an aftermarket downside. If it truly is a breakthru tech with signif benes it may become a standard process for cost-effective remanufacturing as well ...as Ford's talking points would seem to suggest. Admittedly, remains to be seen -lol.

A couple pics Ford released below...

[68fastback]

Bingo!!! Found this on the Ford Global Technologies site.

• 2.7 million miles and not one coating failure
• suitable for coast-effectively coating many automotive surfaces: valve seats, cylinder head gaskets, cylinder head chambers, piston domes, flywheels, wear surfaces, valve train components...
• Ford is offering licensing on the technology

This could be one of those game changing process technologies that brings new surface metalurgy to a broad set of applications not previously viable ...it seems the application process/tool is the key -- the patents are actually on the "method and apparatus to thermally spray" the coatings.

Hot stuff, I think!

[rown4au]

Dan,

Didn't you tell me you were retired from IBM? You sound more like a bloody MIT engineering professor!!!



I won't pretend to udnerstand it all but is seems like pretty cool technnology, I wonder how much more efficient something like this would improve efficiency over a "normal" versio built without this tech.

[Johnny Dangerously]

Originally Posted by rown4au

Dan,

Didn't you tell me you were retired from IBM? You sound more like a bloody MIT engineering professor!!!



I won't pretend to udnerstand it all but is seems like pretty cool technnology, I wonder how much more efficient something like this would improve efficiency over a "normal" versio built without this tech.

Just nod you're head & say "uh-hu". You'll do just fine like the rest of us.


`

[Orf]

uh-huh

[68fastback]

Originally Posted by rown4au

Dan,

Didn't you tell me you were retired from IBM? You sound more like a bloody MIT engineering professor!!!

I won't pretend to udnerstand it all but is seems like pretty cool technnology, I wonder how much more efficient something like this would improve efficiency over a "normal" versio built without this tech.

Good Q, Jaime... my guess is that the benefits are small but broad: some production cost benefits, better wear, less heat/frictional looses, slightly better cooling, etc. Possibly some of the thermal benefits, even if small, can be exploited further with tuning too. Will be interesting to see what the net is -- if Ford actually ever talks about that.

Originally Posted by Johnny Dangerously

Just nod you're head & say "uh-hu". You'll do just fine like the rest of us.


`

-lol

Originally Posted by Orf

uh-huh

-killin' me here

---

I checked to see if I could find anything on the Ford BOSS-500 funny car engine using this tech -- carnut's 2000HP post got me thinking -- but all I could find was a paper on it ...some mention of thinner liner (among other things) experimentation but the context was conventional liners. Still, that would be an awesome 8000HP test!!