Japan Autoparts Maker to Commercialize Process for Fabricating Gears, Bolts From Scrap Wood

Nikkei. Japan autoparts developer Chunichi Seiko Co. plans to commercialize a process for fabricating gears and bolts from scrap wood. The autoparts maker, along with development partners Aichi Industrial Institute and Yoji Kikata, received a Global 100 Eco-Tech Award in 2005 for the work.

Chunichi Seiko will hurry to develop a practical version of the technology to make gears and bolts for applications in cars and consumer electronics, playing up the green aspects of the process, since use of wood-derived parts helps economize on oil and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions.

Parts made from 100% wood are difficult to machine into complicated shapes, but Chunichi Seiko first treats the scrap with hot steam in a pressurized chamber to break down cellulose and fragment the constituents of the wood. Several kinds of synthetic resins are then added to adjust strength and water absorbency, and additives are mixed in to prevent the gears and bolts from losing strength during the machining process.

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Green Car Congress