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Cifunsa Manufacturing Blocks for Navistars New V8 Diesel

March 11, 2010
Mexican foundry launches its first series production of CGI components
Cifunsa has been casting diesel engine blocks in compacted graphite iron at its foundry in Saltillo, Mexico, since January, according to the supplier of the CGI production process technology. The independent foundry is producing the castings for Navistar International, for its new MaxxForce 7 diesel engines for commercial trucks. The MaxxForce 7 is a 6.4-liter V8 turbo-diesel engine that Navistar says advances design elements and components from its I-6 commercial truck engines — including the CGI block. SinterCast AB, which developed the CGI process control system, confirmed that the Navistar blocks represent the first CGI series production component for Cifunsa. It was the first foundry to install the SinterCast system in 1996, and it has supported a wide range of CGI product developments over the past 16 years. SinterCast said it considers Cifunsa “an important CGI production reference” for its technology. It produces iron castings for most of North America’s automotive OEMs, and many Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers. Recently, Cifunsa upgraded its SinterCast process control system to the latest version, System 3000, following “intensified product development activity and anticipated increases in the overall market demand for CGI engine castings.” Compacted graphite iron is an increasingly popular alternative to gray iron and aluminum for automotive engine designs. It offers higher tensile strengths, fatigue strength, and stiffness than those materials so automotive designers may achieve engine performance and fuel economy with low component weight, lower noise factors, and low emissions. SinterCast reports that using CGI for the Navistar cylinder block resulted in a 15% weight reduction over the previous, gray iron 6.4-liter V8 cylinder block. It added that the new block is not only lighter, but stronger and stiffer than the earlier design, resulting in performance increases to 300 horsepower (224 kW), 898 Nm of torque (660 lb-ft), and 68.9 dBA at low idle. SinterCast calls it “the quietest V8 diesel engine in North America.” The new Navistar engine complies with U.S. EPA 2010 emission standards without the use of SCR exhaust treatment. "Navistar's decision to specify CGI for the MaxxForce 7 cylinder block reinforces the trend toward compacted graphite iron for the next generation of high-performance and environmentally efficient engines" said Cifunsa CEO Alberto Piones. "We have seen a continuous increase in the demand for new CGI engine programs and we regard CGI as one of Cifunsa's main growth areas in the near future."