Thursday, 27th January 2005 (3946 views)

Evolution of spark plug design is placing a greater emphasis on the use of gold and other precious metals in the devices, as the importance of reliability and efficacy takes hold in the industry.

Industry experts say the humble spark plug has come a long way since its inception, with a raft of changing circumstances - such as emissions legislation, alterations to engine design and longer service interval - intensifying scrutiny on the spark plug.

Mark Sullivan, vice president of global ignition and wiper operations at Federal Mogul, told justauto.com that the technical demands on the spark plug were increasing.

"The main factors pushing innovation in the spark plug market are extended life, plug size, efficiency, ignitability and cost," he explained.

Mr Sullivan went on to outline how these criteria had brought about the use of precious metal electrodes in order to create greater durability and also to aid low emissions strategies.

Thanks to the resistance of precious metals such as gold, manufacturers are able to provide spark plugs that can deliver a consistent and powerful ignition.

This property is useful for meeting the longer service life deemed necessary for new spark plugs, while the improvements in ignitability can also help to meet increasingly stringent exhaust gas regulations.

As a consequence demand in the spark plug market is gradually declining - as the plugs last longer - while the value of the industry rises, as Denso's Marko Wowczyna explained.

"Whilst [spark plug aftermarket] volume is declining, however, it is fair to say that the value of the overall spark plug market remains strong due to the growth of higher technology plugs, maintaining sales revenues," he commented.

Ultimately, the market is expected to become more refined, with the complexities of differing engines and new regulatory demands leading to greater use of precious metals in the devices, with performance rather than cost the overriding factor.

 

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