Dana Holding Corporation Introduces Lightest Weight Driveshaft Available for Commercial Truck Market

HANNOVER, Germany, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Dana Holding Corporation (NYSE: DAN) announced today that it has developed a revolutionary technology for manufacturing lightweight, one-piece aluminum driveshafts for the commercial truck market.  

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The Spicer® Diamond™ Series driveshaft weighs 40 percent less than traditional two-piece steel driveshafts and features fewer parts in many applications, as well as reduced noise, vibration, harshness (NVH) – all with the industry-proven durability of Spicer Life Series® and Spicer® Compact™ Series universal-joint designs.

Dana is the first to combine steel end fittings with a single-piece, high-strength aluminum tube, replacing the traditional all-steel, two-section driveshaft.  This proprietary manufacturing process delivers a more robust driveshaft with significantly lower weight – up to 32 kilograms (70 pounds).  The manufacturing process for the Spicer Diamond driveshafts was perfected by Dana at its technology center in Maumee, Ohio.

"Dana engineers innovate based on customer need and marketplace evolution, creating products and processes that deliver value, ingenuity, and performance," said Dana Chief Technical and Quality Officer George Constand.  "The Spicer Diamond Series driveshaft is a prime example of this, offering our customers the compelling combination of a robust and reduced-weight driveline solution that is also environmentally friendly."

Designed for heavy-duty commercial trucks using 2.3- to 3.0-meter (7.5- to 10-feet) two-piece steel driveshafts, the Spicer Diamond Series driveshaft improves vehicle efficiency while reducing installation costs through the elimination of the center bearing; and reducing part count from three joint connections to two.  

The use of high-strength aluminum offers resistance to corrosion and improved appearance.  The one-piece design – without the center bearing and one universal joint – reduces component wear.  There are environmental benefits, as well, because tube painting and the metal inert gas (MIG) welding processes are eliminated.

See this innovative commercial-vehicle application, and other technologies from Dana, at the IAA Commercial Vehicle Expo (Hall 17, Booth B27) in Hannover, Germany, through Sept. 30, 2010.

About the 63rd IAA Commercial Vehicles Expo

The IAA Commercial Vehicles Expo is the most established and longest running commercial vehicle trade fair for mobility, transportation, and logistics around the world.  Held bi-annually in Hannover, Germany by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the theme for this year's conference is "Commercial vehicles: efficient, flexible, future-proof."

About Dana Holding Corporation

Dana is a world leader in the supply of driveline products (axles and driveshafts), power technologies (sealing and thermal-management products), and genuine service parts for light and heavy manufacturers.  The company's customer base includes virtually every major vehicle manufacturer in the global automotive, commercial vehicle, and off-highway markets.  Based in Maumee, Ohio, the company employs approximately 22,000 people in 26 countries and reported 2009 sales of $5.2 billion.  For more information, please visit www.dana.com.

SOURCE Dana Holding Corporation