Biography

Born 04.09.1956 in Göttingen (Germany), married

Entered the Lüneburg-based company Deutsche Fibrit GmbH in November 1978. The firm was taken over by Johnson Controls Interiors GmbH & Co. KG  in 1998. Group Manager in the Process Engineering Department at the Lüneburg site.

Abstract

Forming/Laminating Applications at JCI

As of 2004, and once Johnson Controls Interiors ( JCI )  had successfully introduced IMG (in-mould graining) laminating of TPO foam-type foil material in door-production for large-series vehicles made by GM (Opel/Vauxhall Astra and Zafira) at the Lüneburg plant, a new challenge presented itself with the production of two-colour door linings for the BMW 5 Series (E 60 Mü) at our Neustadt site.

These doors were to be laminated with two-colour PVC foam material using a single-section support, with decorative items that did not fully cover the line dividing the two colours, while running diagonally across the door.

This task was initially performed using a two-colour PVC foam material developed by BEKA, while JCI entered into cooperation and reached an agreement with Kiefel, the supplier of the laminating machines, regarding the required / permitted tolerance limits for the line dividing the two colours.

With these specifications in mind, the Kiefel Company has designed a system that can handle the multiple alignment and attachment tasks in the machine inlet involving the two-colour PVC foam material, the IR-heating procedure and the tolerances established.

The cooperation between the three companies concerned has resulted, as of mid-2007, in the successful production of two-colour doors for the new BMW 5 series.

Moving on to this year (2008), JCI is now set to produce a new instrument panel with a two-colour TEPEO 2 compact foil material, along with a new (pre-formed) PVC compact foil as an alternative to paint-coated components.