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JASPER uses SLS printers to make parts suitable for use in production areas and to make tools that are sent with a unit to help with a customer’s installation.

3D printing is rapidly changing the manufacturing landscape. JASPER has adopted this technology not only for internal uses by our Associates but for our customers as well.  

Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing allows the production, or printing, of physical parts from digital models created on a computer.

“JASPER started using a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printer several years ago,” said JASPER Drivetrain and Product Development Engineer Shane Petty. “JASPER mainly used this printer for rapid prototyping and light-duty fixtures.”

“In the last three years, we have added a Stereo Lithographic Apparatus (SLA) and two Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printers,” said Petty. “These have allowed us to make parts that are suitable for use in our production lines.”

A broad range of items is currently produced from a newly-created 3D Printing area in JASPER’s Corporate Headquarters. “Customers may see retainers, connectors, or plugs that have come from our 3D printing area,” Petty said. “We also make some of the tools we send with a unit to help with installation, like our crank sensor alignment tool.”

“Additive manufacturing has many benefits,” Petty added. “It gives us a cost-effective way to produce prototype parts. It also gives us another tool to help overcome the supply chain issues that are so common in manufacturing today.”

Click on the video link for further detailed information... https://youtu.be/WM7iAtFElj4

JASPER may surpass excellence in the never-ending quest to produce The Perfect Product. One of the ways we do that is through the use of cutting-edge technology, such as this LECO Mass Spectrometer. It's used to measure the chemical compositions of different metal alloys within the components we use in remanufacturing. 

"We use it to help us reverse-engineer different parts," said JASPER Product Design Engineer Noah Fritchley. "We also use it to hold our vendors accountablefor supplying us good parts." 

The mass spectrometer works by burning a sample from a metal-alloy component. The machine evaluates the ions coming off that burn, telling us the chemical composition of that alloy. "That would include, in a simple way of putting it, it tells us what the ingredients are for a cake mixture," said Fritchley. "It doesn't tell us necessarily how that cake was baked, but it does tell us what the ingredients are." 

Using a mass spectrometer helps JASPER improve quality and reduces the risk of substandard parts getting to the customer. "With all the global supply chain issues that we've seen, we have seen vendors changing materials in our parts," Fritchley added. "This is one machine to help further reduce the risk of inferior parts getting to our customer." If you'd like to learn more about the remanufactured products here at Jasper Engines & Transmissions, contact us at 800.827.7455 or www.jasperengines.com.

Click on the video link for further detailed information... https://youtu.be/_3Q17na7qWE

Active Fuel Management, or AFM for short, refers to cylinder deactivation. GM uses it to shut down cylinders under light load conditions to improve fuel economy with their V8 engines. However, Jasper Engines & Transmissions has determined the AFM system can cause some issues with the engine over time.
   
“In researching this engine, we found that most of the cores coming in had collapsed lifters,” said JASPER New Product Development Group Leader Brad Boeglin. “The collapsed lifter is the effect, but not the root cause of the failure. The root cause can be mistimed command events from the ECM, oil viscosity, oil temperature, restricted orifices in the LOMA board, and low oil pressure.”

JASPER uses a press to install cam bearings on all of JASPER’s remanufactured LS & LT engine platforms to reduce distortion or bearing damage, and each engine goes through an extensive cleaning cycle. “This takes care of two root causes. However, JASPER cannot do anything to correct the command from the ECM or the oil viscosity,” said Boeglin. “For this reason, JASPER’s developed and released an AFM-delete engine that removes the system entirely. We replace the original cam with a non-AFM version, remove AFM lifters, install all standard lifters, and remove the AFM solenoids.”

With the AFM hardware parts removed from the engine, installers must modify the vehicle’s ECM so it will not set codes or try to command the AFM system, which would shut off spark and fuel to the cylinders. “A tuner is supplied with every AFM engine, allowing the installer access to the ECM and modifying the AFM system,” said Boeglin. “JASPER has instructions to help walk installers through the process.”

With internal changes to the AFM-Delete engine and ECM modifications, JASPER has noticed a half to one and a half-mile per gallon reduction in fuel economy. “It depends on the amount of city to highway driving the customer does with the vehicle,” Boeglin said. From an emission standpoint, the GEN IV JASPER AFM-Delete engine has gone through the California emission testing process and received a CARB executive order # D-391-1, which allows it to be legally sold in all 50 states. “The GEN V version is currently 49 state compliant, and we are actively working on obtaining a CARB EO for that version too,” added Boeglin.

For more information on the AFM-Delete engine and the complete line of JASPER remanufactured products, log onto jasperengines.com, or call 800.827.7455.

Click on the video link for further detailed information...https://youtu.be/ANGJQr1N6ic

Thanks to the efforts of our JASPER Research and Development Team, we have released 23 new products in 2021, including at least eight of which are used in fleet vehicles. New products include:

January:
     • Turbo 2011-2017 Nissan Juke 1.6L
     • Ford 6R140 Transmission 2017-2018 F450/550 (6.7L) and 2016-2019 E350 (6.8L)
     • Chrysler 3.6L Pentastar 2018-2020 Ram 1500, Grand Caravan/Journey, 2018-2019 Charger & Challenger,
       and 2018 Wrangler (Learn more)
     • GM 4L70E Transmission TUG Gen 2 Applications

February:
    • 6.6L Duramax LML Running Complete 2011-2016 Silverado/Sierra
     • 6.6L Duramax CP4 Injection pump - Brought in-house, now JASPER HQ builds.

March:
    • Ford 6F50 Transmission (Product Extension) 2015-2018 Edge
    • Ford 3.5L EcoBoost SVVT 2010-2019 Flex, MKS, MKT, Taurus, and Explorer

April:
    • ZF 8HP70 Transmission 2014-2017 RAM (5.7L) 
    • RAM 6.4L HEMI (fleets only)

May:
    • Ford 6F35 Transmission 2014-2020 Transit (2.5L), 2014-2017 Escape (2.5L) and 2013-2014 Fusion (2.5L)

June:
    • Ford 2.5L 2010-2017 Fusion, Escape, Transit Connect, TUG, Mazda 3 & 5, and CX7
    • Ford 3.7L 2011-2019 Transit, F150, Mustang
    • Ford 6R140 Transmission 2017-2019 E350/450 (6.2/6.8L)

July:
    • ZF 8HP70 (Product Extension) 2014-2015 Grand Cherokee and Durango 
    • Ford 6R80 Transmission 2018-2020 Ford F150 (3.3L)

August:
    • GM 6.0L (Product Extension) 2019-2020 Sierra, Express and Savanna 2500/3500

September:
    • Turbos 2013-2016 Ford F150 - Brought in-house, now JASPER HQ builds.

October:
    • Ford 3.5L Duratec 2019 Explorer and Flex
    • Ford 2.5L Duratec 2018 Transit Connect
    • OTC Turbo, Ford 3.5L (car and crossover) applications

November:
    • GM 3.6L (Product Extension) 2015-2016 Colorado/Canyon
    • Ford 3.5L 2014-2018 Police Interceptor

Thanks again, and here’s to a prosperous 2022!