The IEM Group chooses DuPont™ Delrin® and DuPont™ Zytel® HTN for the development of its innovative smart parking sensors
GENEVA (PRWEB) October 17, 2017 -- DuPont is excited to announce that two of its products, DuPont™ Delrin® and DuPont™ Zytel® HTN have been selected by the IEM (Ingénierie Électronique et Monétique) Group for the development of its PrestoSense smart parking sensors. Smart parking sensors are installed on on-street car parks and can detect a vehicle’s presence. Using smart parking sensors allows cars to drive less in towns as drivers need less time to find a parking spot by using available spot information sent directly to their smartphones. This has the potential to reduce congestion significantly, with a knock-on effect of lowering CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
This unique collaboration between DuPont and the IEM Group demonstrates how a big multinational like DuPont can help start-ups maintain their “first mover’s advantage” by quickly and reliably transforming concepts into scalable prototypes. Over the past few months, 650 PrestoSense parking sensors have been installed in the city of Geneva. But this is only the beginning. Tests are about to kick off in St. Gallen (Switzerland), Courtrai, Lommel, Saint-Trond (Belgium), and - in collaboration with the French Post - in Annemasse and Andrésy (France).
The use of Delrin® and Zytel® HTN helped the IEM Group to effectively overcome two key challenges: ensuring the radio communication necessary for IoT (Internet of Things) devices to function, and guaranteeing resistance against weather conditions and other ‘aggressive’ outdoor influences (e.g. heavy vehicles driving over the sensors). These challenges required a robust housing for the smart parking sensors, which DuPont’s products and hands-on expertise helped make happen.
Delrin® was selected because it ensures that the outer ring of the sensor is resistant to UV light and strong impacts. This is particularly important as the outer ring acts as a shock absorbing cradle to the central puck, helping to avoid any deformations that can potentially damage the circuitry.
For the central ring, DuPont recommended the use of Zytel® HTN - a 35% glass reinforced polyamide resin - as it offers stiffness and electrical component compatibility. This is important as it facilitates the wireless connectivity of the sensors. Zytel® HTN also allows the housing of the sensor’s antennas, which need to be tuned to the assembly, to be unaffected by humidity.
“DuPont offered us the access to high-level know-how that we would not have been able to find in local engineering offices or universities. DuPont also fully understood our challenges in the design of the part, which led to a more efficient collaboration and ultimately to the solution of dividing the detector into a rigid and a flexible component,” confirms Edouard Menoud, founder of the IEM Group.
“Our collaboration with the IEM Group is a great example of how large companies and start-ups can successfully work together in bringing innovative solutions to the market. Through our strong partnership and by pooling our experience and resources, we managed to find the right materials for the parking sensors”, says Philip Boydell, Senior Research Associate at DuPont.
The collaboration with the IEM Group additionally exemplifies how DuPont and its partners contribute to a greener environment. DuPont will be showcasing its latest sustainable solutions at the 25th edition of the Fakuma International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing Fakuma (Friedrichshafen Exhibition Centre, 17 to 21 October 2017). To learn more about DuPont’s performance materials offerings, go to http://www.plastics.dupont.com.
About IEM
Since 25 years, IEM has been a major European supplier of smart devices for on-street parking management. Real-time connected parking meters, detecting sensors and smartphone applications are the heart of our business. IEM targets communities and parking operators to make their management operations simpler while, at the same time, focusing on the comfort of motorists in their mobility experiences. Involved in “smart city” projects, our teams create innovative solutions for a more comfortable life in city centers.
About DowDuPont Specialty Products Division
DowDuPont Specialty Products, a division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. DowDuPont intends to separate the Specialty Products division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at http://www.dow-dupont.com.
Sandrine Le Pallec, DuPont, +41 (0)22 717 5525, [email protected]
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