Air spring rolling piston: Maximum stiffness with PA6 GF50
SPE Award 2025 winner - "Power Train"
Air spring piston made from 50% glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 6
Vehicle manufacturer Audi
Raw material manufacturer AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH
Parts manufacturer Kunststofftechnik Bülck GmbH
Other parties involved Vibracoustic SE
For developers, purchasers and decision-makers in the plastics industry, the selection of the optimum material for safety-relevant, mechanically highly stressed applications is crucial. AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, Vibracoustic SE and Kunststofftechnik Bülck GmbH have realised such a project together: The upper part of the rolling piston is made of a high-performance 50 % glass fibre reinforced polyamide 6.
The compound AKROMID® B3 GF 50 1 black (20008) fulfils highest demands in terms of rigidity, strength and long-term performance. It enables economical and efficient lightweight construction in automotive engineering. The plastic material combines high mechanical strength, excellent dimensional stability and consistent creep resistance with fatigue resistance – an essential basis for reliable and long-lasting use under the hood.
Winner of the SPE Award 2025
The component impressed the International Society for Plastics Engineering in Germany at the 23rd SPE Automotive Award 2025. It beat other entries in the "Power Train" category and took second place.
Under the hood
Technical requirements for the component
Air pistons with axial sleeves are among the key technical components in modern chassis construction. The company Vibracoustic SE, a leading noise, vibration and harshness expert in the automotive industry, manufactures them. They reduce noise and vibrations and thus ensure a high level of driving comfort. The lightweight hybrid component is made of plastic and aluminium.
A very demanding part of the application is the air connection. The integrated Voss is particularly critical, as over 50 dimensions must be precisely met. This is the only way to retain airtightness over the product lifetime. Kunststofftechnik Bülck GmnH has solved this challenge excellently with its outstanding mould competence and know-how
The air spring piston ensures that comfort and driving dynamics are maintained under changing load conditions and different road conditions.
The lightweight air spring piston is manufactured using innovative hot gas welding technology and works as the main load-bearing structural component.
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AKROMID® B3 GF50 1
Technical properties of PA6 GF50
The 50 % glass fibre-reinforced polyamide used has a very high rigidity (modulus of elasticity up to 17,000 MPa, 1 mm/min | dry according to ISO 527-2) and tensile strength tensile strength up to over 230 MPa. The heat-stabilised formulation ensures that these properties are retained even at elevated temperatures that occur under the hood.
AKROMID® B3 GF 50 1 black (20008) has been specially developed for such applications. The 50% glass fibre reinforcement significantly increases both tensile and flexural strength and leads to significantly higher rigidity, while dimensional stability is maintained even under heat and moisture.
Key properties for the UTH application
Mechanical strength
Outstanding tensile and flexural strength thanks to 50% glass fibre content
Stiffness
Dimensional stability even under static and dynamic loads
Creep resistance
Resistance to material deformation under load
Fatigue resistance
Withstands continuous vibrations and alternating load cycles
Dimensional stability
Dimensionally stable even under changing climatic and operating conditions
Glass fibre reinforced polyamides (PA)
These polyamides from our portfolio are reinforced with 50 % glass fibres:
Compound Explorer
Disclaimer: All specifications and information given on this website are based on our current knowledge and experience. A legally binding promise of certain characteristics or suitability for a concrete individual case cannot be derived from this information. The information supplied here is not intended to release processors and users from the responsibility of carrying out their own tests and inspections in each concrete individual case. AKROMID®, AKROLEN®, AKROLOY®, AKROTEK®, ICX®, PRECITE® and DIA(hr)LOG® are registered trademarks of AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH.
