Interview with Mark Bos,  

R&D manager

How long have you worked at MTEE?

I began working for MTEE in the beginning of 2008, so this year is my 12th year in this company.  I started out as an application engineer within the turbo engineering department. This position was a good way to start learning about the turbo development process and to cooperate with all the different departments by supporting the development team for Volkswagen. Around 2 years later I moved to the position of Project engineer and I became the lead engineer in developing several Volkswagen turbocharger projects, before shifting to team leader for the VW account. Within this period we as a team developed the Volkswagen evolution turbochargers boosting up the number of Volkswagen projects. In September 2017 I took on the new position as head of our R&D department. After 10 years within the engineering department it is really interesting to now be on this side of the development process, and I really look forward to seeing our latest technologies implemented in new projects. 

What is your background? (Education, prior jobs if relevant)

I studied mechanical engineering at the technical university Eindhoven. I graduated within the automotive engineering science section, combustion technology. My thesis work was performed upon modeling a DAF diesel engine operating in HCCI (homogeneous compressed combustion ignition) mode. After finishing my studies, applying to MTEE was a natural step for me in order to continue working with combustion technology.   

What do you like about working with turbochargers / like about working at MTEE?

Working in the field of engineering for automotive is challenging. To be able to develop a turbocharger directly together with an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for mass production is seeing the result of your work every day on the road. Within MTEE there is the unique situation that the pre-development, development and production are located on site. This means that sample production, on engine validation and series production of the final product can be monitored easily, and it is very fulfilling as an engineer to be able to follow the whole process from start to end.  

What is the most interesting project that you have been part of?

It is impossible for me to choose just 1 project as I have been part of several interesting projects. So here follows just some of the examples: Like when we developed improvements to our waste gate system. One of the improvements was adding springs with a plate thickness of 0.15mm and a precise laser welding production process. Another example is the development of our waste gate turbocharger to handle the electrical actuator, first a linear type and later on a rotary type electrical waste gate actuator. Last example is the project for NVH improvement (balancing process optimization) to improve the production success ratio and improve overall vibration levels.     

In which direction do you see the turbocharger development going?

Within the future growing market of vehicles I see an interesting new mix of technologies and fuels. This means that the ICE (internal combustion engine) will be pushed to its limits to meet the legislation goals. The new legislation goals must be met, including a better overall engine performance. To achieve the maximal result, detailed analysis is needed. Analysis will be performed more and more with the help of calculations. Furthermore, new advanced technologies are developed and combined with the ICE in order to meet the goals. A good example is the electrical turbocharger assist which we will see implemented more and more as 48V mild hybrid technology advances. New opportunities also arise with the expansion of fully electric cars. For example, the gas turbine range extender where the turbocharger technology can be used within a BEV to charge the battery while driving.  It is exciting times we are heading into.