Problem to be solved – Create an airbag which will reduce the cost and fold into a smaller package.
Solution
Airbags made from woven ribbons are cheaper to manufacture and package into a smaller volume than conventional woven yarn airbags.
Features – Airbags are assembled from woven film material through adhesives in place of sewing resulting in a seam which is as strong as the base material.
Benefits – woven film material is less expensive to manufacture than material from yarn. The strength of the material can be tailored to the needs of the airbag by changing the thickness of the ribbons without affecting the number of ribbons per inch in the weaving process. This saves material and since the ribbons are flat whereas yards are round the packaging thickness is reduced.
Status
Patents – 5505485, 5653464, 5746446, 5863068, 6149194, 6250668, 6715790, 7726684, 7820566, 8822357, plus 15 applications in process.
Development Stage – Initial samples passed qualification tests for driver airbags but improvements are being implemented
Business Opportunity* – 500 million airbags are made annually. ATI plans to be a material supplier of the woven film. Investment in a company for that purpose is sought. Licenses for airbags made from the material are available worldwide except China.