Technologies to Absorb Vibrations

Metalsa designs and manufactures structural solutions for the mobility industry. To enable structural frames for electric pick-up trucks, the company is exploring a variety of innovative materials and designs to provide vehicles with towing, loading and off-road capabilities without jeopardizing the battery pack safety. One key aspect of the design of electric vehicles is the connection between the stiffness of the battery pack and the flexibility of the chassis frame.

Chassis frames, also called ladder frames, become a source of vibration when they support large weights. Said vibrations may damage the interconnection of batteries affecting their lifetime and regular operation.

Metalsa is seeking for technologies that are able to act as a buffer to absorb vibrations between the frame flexibility and the battery-pack stiffness.

This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will only need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership.

Electrification of vehicles with off-road and loading capabilities, such as pick-up trucks, faces the challenge to match the flexibility of the structure needed for such conditions and the safety conditions required to include a battery pack.

It is therefore an industry need to explore cost-effective technologies that are able to absorb ground-generated vibrations and that may be included at the connection between the battery pack and the chassis frame.

The constraints for these technologies within the vehicle structure are related to space and weight. Although all technologies may be considered, those that have less weight and size requirements are the ones that will get a higher probability of being used and tested.

This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge. The Solver will write a preliminary proposal (about 2-4 pages, including supporting non-confidential information and contact details) to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. Upon completion of the evaluation, the Seeker may contact selected Solvers directly to work out terms for a collaboration contract. The monetary value of the contract will vary depending on the amount of work to be delivered and the agreed upon time frame.

[NOTE: Proposals from Solvers who have the ability to work directly as the collaboration partner or supplier will be considered first. The Seeker will also consider proposals from other Solvers who refer a suitable candidate as a partner for a “finder’s fee” of $2,000 USD if convinced the candidate is worth contacting. See full description for details.]

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on March 1, 2020. 

Late submissions will not be considered.

ABOUT THE SEEKER

Metalsa is a private company and a subsidiary of Proeza Group. We manufacture tier 1 and tier 2 structural components for the light and commercial vehicle markets. Our portfolio includes light duty frames, space frames, suspension modules, body structures, safety systems, transmission modules and fuel tanks for passenger cars and light trucks as well as chassis frames, side rails and cross members of heavy trucks and buses.

Our culture is a strong asset to foster collaboration and communication in order to support efficient decision-making processes. We continually strive to eliminate barriers of collaboration and seek for human development and the well-being of our communities. We create a multicultural team of more than 13,000 employees around the world giving Metalsa the opportunity to offer solutions to the customer with a strategically global perspective.