In almost all vehicle categories, noise from oscillation and vibration during operation has become absolutely unacceptable. As a result of increasingly quiet, low-vibration combustion engines, improved noise isolation measures for engines and quiet electric drives, noise (caused, for instance, by grating plastic parts inside the cockpit) seems more noticeable than ever. Silent, reproducible motion cycles are entered into the specifications sheet of any interior parts, such as switches and kinematic components; even electric actuators, as used in window regulators and seat or mirror adjustment systems, need to be silent.

Solutions for this wide range of noise-damping measures and friction coefficient settings include special lubricants, combinations of lubricants and insulation materials, and antifriction coatings. Ideally, the lubricant or anti-friction coating should be used as a construction element and integrated into the development at an early stage. This ensures optimal compatibility with a wide variety of material combinations, temperatures and weather conditions.

The subsequent addition of solutions to an existing construction tends to incur
high costs and should be avoided. “Around 70 % of warranty returns are at least partially related to noise in the inside of the vehicle,” Timo Höher, Technical Service for Special Lubricants at BECHEM, explains. “As a manufacturer of special lubricants, we offer a wide range of products including far more than 250 special lubricants and noise-damping media. We can expand and adjust our product range at any time to cater to specific requirements.” The noise-damping kits, manufactured by BECHEM as the first lubricant producer in the automotive industry, offer a brief cross-section of the catalog. Coated material blanks made from metal, polymeric materials or rubber make the huge problem-solving potential of anti-friction coatings – quite literally – tangible.