Materials & Equipment
Microporous Insulation Material
A range of insulation materials at various thicknesses are used depending on the temperatures likely to be experienced and the amount of room available around the exhaust system.
Some specialist matting, such as superwool, which contains no silicate powder, can be used without adhesive tape and therefore does not require heat treatment in an oven.
Downdraft Table
A specialist downdraft table is used when working with the microporous materials to extract any powder released in the cutting process.
Dimpled Metal Foil
Dimpled foil in thicknesses between 0.15 and 0.3mm is typically used to insulate exhaust systems.
Inconel, titanium and stainless steel foil is supplied on rolls and dimpled using a press tool or by running the foil through machined rollers, which creates the pattern on each side.
The dimpled pattern gives greater stiffness to the material while allowing for expansion and contraction during temperature changes.
The embossed patterns also allow for better formability when limited stretching is required to fit a contoured shape.
Heat Treatment
Insulated exhaust systems, both integral and clamshell, are heat-treated in an appropriately vented oven at a high temperature for a certain time to allow the adhesive - used to seal the microporous insulation – to burn off.
Neglecting this part of the process results in fumes being emitted either in the dyno cell or in the car.
Adhesive Tape
Adhesive tape is used to seal the microporous insulation to prevent powder escaping during the heat shielding process.
The adhesive element is burnt off in an oven before delivery to the customer.