Mexican Media Brands
Ford Puts McDonald’s Coffee to Use in Car Parts
Ford Motor Co. plans to begin using composite materials derived from coffee remnants supplied by fast food giant McDonald’s Corp. in future vehicle parts to reduce weight and enhance sustainability.
Share
Ford Motor Co. plans to begin using composite materials derived from coffee remnants supplied by fast food giant McDonald’s Corp. in future vehicle parts to reduce weight and enhance sustainability.
The partners discovered that coffee chafe—the dried skin of the bean extracted during the roasting process—can be converted into a durable material to reinforce headlight assemblies and other components. Roasting in a low-oxygen environment and then pelletizing the chaff with plastic and other additives allows the material to be formed into various shapes.
Ford says the material can reduce part weight by as much as 20% and requires about 25% less energy during the molding process. Heat properties of the chaff components are significantly better than those made with other materials. In some cases, coffee-sourced parts outperform traditional materials.
Among the first applications for the material will be in the headlight housings of the Mustang pony car and Lincoln Continental sedan. Plymouth, Mich.-based Varroc Lighting Systems Inc., which supplies the headlamps, and Competitive Green Technologies will process the coffee chaff.
Ford plans to expand use to other vehicles and components, including interior systems and underhood parts.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Developments at Lincoln, Magna, Fiskar, Volvo and More
Lincoln’s plans for electric; Magna and Fisker working together; Polestar in South Carolina; the Volvo XC60 driven; VW gets deep into 3D; Porsche exec on electric; BMW and hydrogen; Staubli cell for tire sensors; and Bridgestone invests in autonomous trucking company.
-
Jeeps Modified for Moab
On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
-
Engineering the 2019 Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee, which was launched in its current manifestation as a model year 2014 vehicle, and which has just undergone a major refresh for MY 2019, is nothing if not a solid success.
