Case Study: Thermoplastic oil pan gasket with an integrated windage tray molded from Zytel® nylon
Windage tray eliminates a very labor-intensive, time-consuming assembly step and reduces costs significantly.
Application Description
The first thermoplastic oil pan gasket with an integrated windage tray was featured on General Motors' 3800 Series II V-6 engine for 1995.
The one-piece plastic windage tray, with its molded-in gasket, is retained by existing oil pan screws; whereas a conventional system is comprised of a molded-rubber gasket and a separate sheet metal stamping plus several additional screws and other fasteners that require assembly. The innovative new windage tray was considered a breakthrough because it eliminated a very labor-intensive, time-consuming assembly step and reduced costs significantly. It also opened the door to further integration of baffling and oil pickups.
Materials Selected and Why
DuPont™ Zytel® glass-reinforced nylon 6,6 was chosen for this application because of its strong track record with other under-hood components and its ability to withstand aggressive oils and high engine temperatures.
