Learn how automotive AFM can improve vehicle performance.
Back in the 1970s, one of Extrude Hone AFM’s founders pioneered the concept of “PowerFlow,” which involves using abrasive flow machining techniques to dramatically enhance the capabilities of certain combustion engine parts. By 1992, major companies such as Ford had taken notice and even begun incorporating our AFM process for their vehicles.
Despite the widespread use of AFM for automotive applications, the average person has no idea what this process is or how exactly it is being used to improve the vehicles they buy. In this blog we will provide a bit of explanation to help you understand the top3 benefits of automotive AFM.
Automotive AFM Basics
Abrasive flow machining, or AFM, is useful for clearing out tiny irregularities in manufactured parts and improving the interior surface finish of various passages to promote optimal flow. Our automotive AFM is most often used on intake manifolds, where removing about 1 mm of surface material can deliver big results. In general, the AFM process results in a 25 percent increase in flow capability for air and/or fuel in most applications.
Top 3 Benefits of Automotive AFM
Better Performance: Once key automotive parts have been improved with AFM, air and fuel are going to flow through them much faster. This results in more intense combustion and better volumetric efficiency. The benefits go on as with a freer flowing exhaust, the cylinder can be evacuated more completely after combustion which will make room for a stronger measure of fuel and air for the next ignition. The exact amount of improvement in horsepower, thrust, and torque that the improved flow of the AFM parts will provide of course depends on how your equipment is configured and tuned.
Better Fuel Efficiency: No one likes to spend more on gas than they have to. Even with oil prices plummeting recently, gas prices have remained relatively stable and it still makes sense to look for savings. By improving combustion, automotive AFM ensures more of the fuel you’ve paid for actually gets used by the engine.
Cleaner Exhaust Emissions: When it comes to cleaning up emissions from combustion engines, there are many different technologies that can come into play. But one of the simplest is automotive AFM. Because this process improves combustion, it naturally reduces emissions at the very same time. After all, the number one contributor to harmful emissions is unspent fuel. Some experts put the figure for unspent fuel at 96 percent of car exhaust emissions. By making sure the engine burns fuel as completely as possible, automotive AFM can help reduce this figure and deliver cleaner emissions and cleaner air.
