DETROIT ? Ford Motor Company, The Boeing Company and Northwestern University announced they are creating an alliance to collaborate on nanotechnology research for cars and airplanes.
The first manifestation of this alliance is the $30 Million Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center, dedicated last week at Northwestern?s north Chicago campus. Ford provided a $10 million grant to build the center, part of the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The alliance agreement, which is expected to become final later this month, is designed to pave the way for future advancements in transportation, including cars that could someday be powered by clean hydrogen rather than gasoline.
?Ford has a long history of research in the field of nanotechnology, and this relationship will strengthen our knowledge for the future,? said Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, Ford?s vice president of Research and Advanced Engineering.
?As our Chairman Bill Ford announced recently, innovation is the compass by which we are setting our company?s future direction ? stylish in design, safer for families and first in technology that uses new fuels and offers new services to consumers,?? Schmidt said.
?In line with this commitment, we are very pleased to be working with Boeing. They have been our long-time partner, and our joint collaboration with Northwestern University underscores just how serious we are about innovating for the future together.?
?Nano? refers to the nanometer, a measurement of a millionth of a millimeter, and nanotechnology involves the manipulation of atoms as raw materials. Scientists hope nanotechnology will dramatically advance medicine, electronics and manufacturing.
For automobiles, nanotechnology could help Ford find ways to boost power in hybrid vehicle batteries using ?nanoscale materials? that create more energy from traditional materials today. In the hydrogen arena, nanotechnology could help researchers develop higher capacity hydrogen storage tanks for cars, which would help make the fuel more practical for the future.
While the initial focus of the research will be nanotechnology, other potential research areas include specialty metals, thermal materials, coatings and sensors.
The new alliance between Ford and Boeing will be the latest development in a 10-year relationship that has resulted in improved products for both companies.
Examples of past innovations between Ford and Boeing include:
Human Factors Modeling : Ford shared with Boeing its ?Third Age Suit,? which is made of materials that add bulk, restrict movement and obscure vision to help give engineers and designers a feel for the needs of the elderly. By using the suit, Ford and Boeing engineers have been able to research ways to provide more user friendly interiors for automobiles and aircraft.
Aluminum Bonding : Boeing shared knowledge of its expertise in aluminum bonding from aerospace products with Ford for production of the Ford GT supercar. The technology, including the use of ?friction stir welding,? was used by Ford to bond the center tunnel of the Ford GT to its floor pan without deformation.
Rapid Prototyping: Boeing and Ford shared knowledge of rapid prototyping to refine and develop methods that allow part designs created in a computer to be ?printed? in 3-D by a computer-operated laser that cures a photo-sensitive resin. This ?printed? model becomes a prototype part without the need for expensive tooling. Ford now can cast parts as large as an engine block with rapid prototyping equipment in days instead of months or weeks.
Ford and Boeing also have committed to a technology exchange program, which includes providing access to each other?s talented people, technology and process know-how to benefit their products.
