Laser Honing creates a technological breakthrough in reducing fuel consumption and carbon emmissions.

Increasingly more car manufacturers worldwide are employing the use of the most advanced technology - Laser Honing, in the finish machining process of their engines. The reason: No other process of cylinder machining improves the fuel consumption and the emissions of modern engines in such a competitive and reliable manner. According to the current market situation, from 2008 over 1.1 million gas and diesel engines in Asia, America and Europe with laser honed cylinders will be coming off the assembly line. This trend is set to increase further in the future. Gehring was the pioneer in the development of the innovative laser honing process, which was first implemented in 2002 by Opel into their series production and which has since become an international standard.

Principle Advantages of Laser Honing versus conventional honing processes.

Laser Honing is a process developed by Gehring and combines two machining processes, namely, Honing and Laserstructuring. Through these processes, small microscopic pockets are burned into the cylinderwall, where oil collects. In this way, under extreme conditions safer lubrication is achieved. Advantage: the complete cylinder surface is smoother and more homegenous than with conventional honing, without the risk of a destructive oil film. According to Dr. Tobias Abeln, Director of Research and Development at Gehring, „this tribiological quality surface is not possible to attain with the sole use of conventional honing”
The smoother the structure becomes through the utilization of conventional machining methods the greater the risk of a failed engine in the hands of the customer.” In contrast, to date there is no evidence of any failure in the approximate one million engines that have been subjected to laser structuring.

Laser Honing reduces fuel consumption and emissions.

Laser Honing allows the user product adantages, that will be visibly increased through the future implementation of ever increasing stricter regulatory requirements. Because laser structuring produces a smoother cylinder wall that is subject to less friction, the engine requires less fuel. In addition laserstructuring reduces the oil entry into the combustion chamber and therefore emissions. „Therefore, our customers are able to achieve target numbers like Euro 5 and Euro 6 much easier”

The next development step: complete structured cylinders

Up to now, the only part of the cylinder that was laser structured was the upper part of the piston rings. In the next development stage we forsee laser structuring the entire cylinder surface finish. The University of Hannover has already completed trials that show a reduction of over 6 percent in fuel consumption with its test engine that was laser structured. The widened use of laser structuring for the complete cylinder has been used several times in racing engines and has passed with flying colours. Currently, initial tests are being run by automotive manufacturers in series production.

page top