Polytec makes honeycomb oil pans

Production of injection moulded thermoplastic car oil pans for Audi started in early 2012 at the Polytec plant in Lohne, northern Germany.

The company has been working on thermoplastic oil pans for four years. The Audi contract is for 600,000 pans/year for Audi's 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines.

The pan features an innovative multiple honeycomb ribbed design of glass fibre reinforced, heat stabilised polyamide, rather than using long, conventional reinforcing ribs.

The new oil pan means a reduction in weight for Audi over the preceding steel pan from 2kg to just 0.8kg. Polytec has also designed and patented a plastic oil release screw.

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