Content provided in partnership with

Manufacturing Industry

Reinforcement in red: Cummins launching new generation Tier 3 QSB engines at ConExpo; new engines, new look belies consistent message on emissions technology

Diesel Progress North American Edition, March, 2005 by Mike Brezonick

Maybe it's because of the industry it's in, maybe it's because of the increased scrutiny all large companies receive these days or maybe it's because its headquarters has always been in the heart of the Midwest--Columbus, Ind. Whatever the reason, Cummins Inc. has always seemed to put a premium on a philosophy that can be summed up as "say what you're going to do, then do what you said."

By that standard, the new generation Tier 3 QSB engines that Cummins will show for the first time at ConExpo are a normal progression, a restatement, albeit in iron, and sporting a dramatic new red livery, of a plan the company laid out more than three years ago.

Most Popular Articles in Business: Research and Markets : Tesco Plc - SWOT Framework Analysis; Do Us a Flavor - Ben & Jerry's Issues a Call for Euphoric New Flavors; eBay made easy: ready to start an eBay business? These 5 simple steps will ...; Katrina's lawsuit surge: a legal battle to force insurers to pay for flood ...; Wal-Mart's newest distribution center opened last month near the southwest ...; More »

"It's doing what we said we would do, which is certainly something people have heard us say before," said Dave Crompton, Cummins vice president--MidRange Engine Sales. "But it's a big piece of what drives the engine business.

"Investing in the technology, developing stability in the platforms earlier and planning with an eye toward the future are things that have been driving us for a while. It's played out that way--and not by luck. It's at the heart of where we've been and what we're doing with Tier 3 as well."

Of course, even if it's a restatement, it's an awfully important one for any number of reasons, not the least of which is because of the engine itself.

The B series diesel engine will probably go down in history as the most important engine Cummins has ever built and it has found myriad applications in everything from loaders to boats to Dodge Ram pickups. To date, the company has built more than three million B series engines and set sales records with the engine in several market segments in 2004.

And evolutionary or not, the new QSB diesels are said by the company to offer significant improvements in performance, responsiveness, noise emissions and durability. And of course, the capability to meet EPA's Tier 3 standards well ahead of the required Jan. 1, 2006 deadline.

"Probably the most important thing is that in the context of the most challenging emissions requirement that's ever faced us in off-highway, we've kept that as a requirement, but it's not been the focus of the development," Crompton noted. "Compliance is the end game, but it's not what drove our thinking in terms of the strategy moving forward.

"The strategy was really driven from what our customers and what a healthy market need, which is stability though more challenging and faster emissions cycles, but also a focus on limiting the impact technically and limiting the incremental cost associated with achieving the next emissions hurdle. It was really focused on performance for the customer, cost and complexity for the OEM and stability through the emissions cycle. And it happens to be complaint as well."

The Tier 3 QSB diesels will be available in four- and six-cylinder versions, both of which are electronically controlled. The 6.7 L, QSB engines will span an output range from 130 to 260 hp, with a restricted rating of 275 hp available. The smaller 4.5 L QSB is available in ratings from 110 to 160 hp, with a 170 hp restricted rating. A 4.5 L, mechanically controlled Tier 3 engine rated 80 to 110 hp is in development to meet Tier 3 standards (for that engine size) that become effective in 2008.

The Tier 3 QSB engines are derived from a design developed by Cummins and Iveco as part of their European Engine Alliance (EEA) joint venture, but Crompton emphasized that it wasn't simply a direct technology transfer from the EEA product, which has been sold in Europe for several years by both partners. "There is core technology that was developed within EEA that is available to both partners," he said. "We are not obligated to the same technology solution for Tier 3 and in fact, we will likely take a different path.

"The basic block design is similar, the fuel systems are somewhat similar. But how you specifically get to Tier 3 in terms of combustion and some of the overall approach, Cummins has taken a different tack."

The foundation of Cummins' emissions approach has been what the company calls its in-cylinder emissions solution, which is an analysis-led design encompassing specific proprietary designs of components such as injector nozzles, intake and exhaust ports, pistons, etc., along with engine control software developed by Cummins. This approach--what the company calls its "emissions recipe"--is being carried across nearly all of Cummins engine families and has been refined through thousands of hours of computer-aided combustion analysis.

"We put in almost 18,000 cpu hours generating a piston bowl and injector combination to go out and run in a test cell," said Tim Britt, technical project leader for the Tier 3 B series engine. "We're very proud to say that at the end of this process, in when we cut our first piston bowl, it's at the same piston bowl we're going into production with. That's a huge achievement and a huge savings in time and expense."

Manufacturing Industry

Reinforcement in red: Cummins launching new generation Tier 3 QSB engines at ConExpo; new engines, new look belies consistent message on emissions technology

Diesel Progress North American Edition, March, 2005 by Mike Brezonick

Find Research Guides for:

Find Featured Titles for: Arts

Most Popular Articles in Business

Most Popular Publications in Business