WEINHEIM, Germany—Vibracoustic A.G. has opened a new material development center at its Weinheim location.
The firm said 25 material experts will work closely with its engineering team to support new prototype compounds and conduct comprehensive testing. The site spans about 23,700 square feet. Investment details were not disclosed.
Vibracoustic said the center "further strengthens its position as a leading global automotive NVH expert by securing innovative, high-performance and extensively tested materials for its products to increase the driving comfort of its customers vehicles."
The firm can conduct analytical and physical material testing in the new lab. The site also allows for corrosion tests to produce quality, durability and performance metrics provided by automotive original equipment manufacturers.
The site also includes a rheology laboratory to evaluate and refine deformation and flow characteristics of both solid and liquid materials.
The prototyping area will develop new raw compounds in small batches, which can be mixed and vulcanized to conduct further testing, Vibracoustic said. There also is a micro cellular urethane shot machine to testing and production of the foam material.
The firm employs more than 10,000 people at 43 production and engineering locations in 19 countries. Vibracoustic reported 2018 sales of $2.37 billion and is a subsidiary of the Freudenberg Group.