Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America said it is expanding its research and development center in Northville, Mich., to provide full engineering, development and testing services for its medium- and heavy-duty customers. The facility will help customers save time in the development process and get their products to market much faster, according to the company.
“We have used this facility for several years to develop and test starters for the automotive marketplace,” said Clint McDermott, research and development manager for Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America’s Engine Control Systems, who manages the center. “Extending our services to include engineering and testing of medium- and heavy-duty starters is a natural extension of the work we do here. “
The facility is situated in a nearly 10,000-sq.-ft. building that mirrors Mitsubishi Electric’s main development center in Himeji, Japan. Equipment and time-tested development processes are also the same as those in Japan.
The center has hot and cold chambers where starters can be tested on Class 6, 7 and 8 vehicles, or individually as separate components. The chamber for complete vehicles uses a 300 HP motor to create temperatures from -40 degrees F to 122 degrees F (-40C and 50C), vary humidity from 5% to 99%, and generate wind speeds of up to 80 MPH. The smaller chambers can test starters in temperatures ranging from -100 F to 374 F (-73 C to 190 C), the company added.
The facility also is equipped with a solar simulation rack with lights that are 1.5 times brighter than the sun; the system can reach maximum temperatures in 40 to 45 minutes. Dynamometers provide testing capabilities that measure starter performance in an accelerated amount of time. Development and testing data are forwarded to headquarters in Japan, where they are analyzed and used to ensure quality and performance, the company said.
The facility is designed to test six medium- and heavy-duty engines at a time, and engine starters can be cycled 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Live engine testing procedures can be up and running in less than two weeks, including construction of engine stands and other test equipment and modification of engines and controls to comply with the needed testing.
Heavy-duty starters that are received by Mitsubishi Electric’s Northville facility for warranty analysis can typically be analyzed and addressed with customers in three to five days, according to the company.
