MATERIALS C
omposite materials can have huge benefits for the development of new products, offering unique
physical and chemical properties that can be tailored to specific applications. The use of composites has significant potential in the transportation industry, making it possible to create lighter and more durable car, train and aircraft components, such as body panels, doors and battery enclosures. However, the cost of traditional manufacturing methods for these materials, together with the long curing process that they typically involve, has been a key hurdle to the wider adoption of these materials. This article discusses a novel manufacturing process that makes it possible to produce lightweight components at higher throughput to support sustainable transport initiatives.
A LIGHTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE The manufacturing of lightweight structures in transportation has historically centred around aluminium, mainly due to its strength, weight and recyclability, and also because its widespread availability has made it a cost-effective solution. However, composites can often meet the same technical requirements and provide significant further weight savings – up to 40 % in many cases – due to their low density and high strength and stiffness. Composites are not only volumetrically lighter, but also allow more intelligent design and shaping that result in even lighter, streamlined structures. For example, in traditional pressed or stamped metal
Using the new process, composite parts can be manufactured at medium- to high-volume cycle times
parts, the thickness of the sheet is uniform throughout – engineered to the requirements of the highest stress point – but can add unnecessary weight in low-stress areas, and
may require lightweighting through machining. In contrast, composites allow the thickness and performance of the material to be varied between low- and high-stress zones, moulding components to exactly match the requirements of the application to save unnecessary weight. Together with excellent chemical
The Fast Press Cure (FPC) system enables to manufacture of composite components at speed
resistance and low maintenance, these properties make composites extremely attractive in transport applications, especially electric vehicles, where there is high demand for lighter materials to help meet the growing popularity of this sector. A major contributing factor to the increased weight of electric vehicles is the batteries, which has driven engineers to explore lighter materials in parts such as battery casings. This
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