Rencol Demonstrates Tolerance Rings at Auto Expo in India

This year’s Auto Expo in India will be held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from January 10-17, 2008. Rencol’s stand (Hall 1B, Booth 19) will showcase the latest technological advances in tolerance rings, highlighting a cross section of applications already enjoying success within the European, North American and Asian automotive markets.

A torque control mechanism in an electric power steering system is a typical application for tolerance rings. They are designed-in to allow slip between the gear wheel and drive shaft at a pre-determined torque level. This functionality protects the gear teeth and motor from damage during back-driven shock loads, such as when the wheel accidentally hits the edge of a curb.

Chris Needes, Automotive Product Manager at Rencol, said: “Rencol’s tolerance rings are used on both rack and column mounted electric power steering systems in production line models for manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Citroen, Honda, Mitsubishi, Seat, Toyota and Volkswagen.”

Other practical examples of where tolerance rings are solving problems in the automotive industry include: electric windscreen wiper motors – to mount a bearing/bush in motor system; wing mirrors – to allow rotational movement under shock loading and also helps reduce mirror vibration; sensor mounts – creates a press fit assembly that’s resilient to vibration; and seat adjusters – where the ring is used as a slipping clutch to avoid damage of handle and mechanism.

A biennial event, Auto Expo is organised jointly by the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). Currently ranked as the 11th largest producer of passenger cars in the world, the organisers expect this ranking to rise dramatically to seventh largest by 2016. In terms of numbers, last year the Indian automotive industry produced 1.4 million passenger cars, 390,000 commercial vehicles and eight million motorbikes.