JSAE Exposition 2016: CFRP application trends in Europe

Cutting-edge RTM and CFRP / metal composites

2016/07/15

Summary

CFRP rims
CFRP rims
Floor tunnel cover on BMW7 Series
Floor tunnel cover on BMW7 Series

 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) is said to be at the cutting edge in automotive weight reduction technology. Its use was limited to small-lot production vehicles but in recent years utilization has seen gradually increasing in Europe. The following report summarizes exhibits and lectures at workshops during the JSAE Exposition 2016 held in Yokohama. The latest developments in CFRP technology will also be introduced.

 Various CFRP molding methods have been developed and are still evolving. Among them, resin transfer molding (RTM) is finding increasing use in the automotive industry, and the molding processes of HP-RTM (High Pressure RTM), compression RTM, and wet-RTM will be analyzed as representative examples, along with the products they are used to make. Also CFRP-metal composite, in which CFRP is integrated with metals such as steel or aluminum, will be introduced. The tailored rolled blank B-pillar reinforced with a CFRP stiffener that was developed by Mubea Carbo Tech, and a new composite material called KRAIBON developed by KRAIBURG, will also be examined.

Related reports:
JSAE Exposition 2015: Mazda2 features latest body structural technologies
Automotive Weight Reduction Expo 2015
International Plastic Fair Japan 2014
Technologies from BMW's EfficientDynamics strategy highlight company direction

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