Composites reinvent automotive

Composite materials have proven their advantages — especially their light weight, durability, corrosion resistance, and tunability compared to traditional metals — in a variety of automotive applications from high-end luxury vehicles to high-performance race vehicles to high-volume commercial applications.

Every day of National Composites Week, CW is highlighting content about a different end market in which composites are “reinventing” the industry and driving innovation. See yesterday’s “Composites reinvent aerospace, AAM and space” and follow along the rest of this week for more.

What are some of the latest ways composites are reinventing the automotive industry?

Bio-inspired rollover cage 

• Carbon fiber, bionic design achieve peak performance in race-ready production vehicle

Porsche worked with Action Composites to design and manufacture an innovative carbon fiber safety cage option to lightweight one of its series race vehicles, built in a one-shot compression molding process.

Keys to success? A multi-tier, bio-inspired design approach.

Innovations in automotive body panels

• Thermoplastic composites: Cracking the horizontal body panel nut

CW contributing writer Peggy Malnati sheds light on the history of automotive composite body panels — and their challenges — and explains a versatile sandwich panel technology developed to solve decades-long exterior automotive challenge.

Want more content and the latest news about composites technology used in the automotive industry, or in other end markets? Visit CW’s Markets page.