Driver airbags and seatbelts together reduce the number of deaths in the case of head-on collisions by 61 percent. While airbags were initially only installed into the steering wheel, new vehicles today generally have at least 7 airbags.
Yarns used for airbags are mainly made from polyamide. However, the resistant polyester fiber is increasingly becoming an interesting alternative to polyamide, which has meanwhile become almost three times as expensive. As a result of the ever growing diversity of airbag applications and also the ever larger systems – such as side, curtain and meanwhile also pedestrian airbags – the less expensive polyester is being increasingly focused on.
Against this background, cost-efficient manufacture is quite a challenge for producers. But this is where Oerlikon Barmag technologies can make an invaluable contribution. Here, the technology excels not just in terms of its high productivity and low energy consumption, but also with regards to its precision. To this end, threads used for airbags have particularly fine yarns as a result of the special fabric construction and are therefore more sensitive to friction. All in all, the spinning machines fulfill all high quality standards for airbags, which – unlike virtually all other textile products in vehicle construction – have to ensure the greatest degree of safety for occupants. And all this without any loss of function under all different climate conditions world-wide for the lifetime of the vehicle.
