29. September 2020

Together with seat belt, the airbag is considered the most important passive safety element in a vehicle. It started with an airbag for the driver. Today, up to 20 airbags are installed per vehicle. The associated occupant protection has been continuously improved. This development is impressively confirmed by the accident statistics with passenger cars, which show that the number of fatal accidents is falling permanently.

The majority of airbags include wire meshes. On the one hand, knitted wire meshes can be used for the elastic support of the explosive components of the airbag and on the other hand for the targeted control of the inflation of the airbag. Knitted wire meshes have the advantage that they can keep constant mechanical properties even at high temperatures.

The disadvantage is that, due to the existing process of knitted wire mesh, there is always the risk that small loose wires (particles) remain in the wire mesh, despite the highest processing quality. These particles can come loose when the airbag igniter detonates and injure the airbag before it has fully inflated. In order to make sure that no loose wire remains in the wire mesh , UMFOTEC has developed a new knitting process with which loose wires can be excluded.

The degree of innovation of this development is confirmed by the support of the European Union.

Back