Cooperating on new-generation ground transport

We composites professionals look at the automotive market with a unique combination of excitement and anxiety. The excitement grows out of the knowledge that the auto industry has a mandate to lose weight, and composites are an obvious choice to help get that done. 

What struck me over the day-and-a-half conference was the variety and quality of the material and process innovation presented, and the intensity of the presenters. These were not salespeople trying to talk a reluctant automotive industry into buying a product. They were technology and material specialists who have listened carefully to what automotive OEMs say they need, and have developed carefully crafted solutions to meet that need.

Some solutions are mature, well-developed and in use today. Others are clearly still in development. All of them, though, are highly targeted and designed to leverage the multi-fiber, multi-resin, multi-process dynamism of the composites industry. Covestro LLC, for instance, announced at the conference that it has begun working on application of fiber-reinforced polycarbonate for the fabrication of Class A automotive body panels. Teijin reported on the status of its compression-molded chopped carbon fiber/polyamide composite material for structural vehicle parts. Sigmatex informed attendees about its efforts to incorporate recycled carbon fiber and thermo- plastic fibers into its reinforcements product line. The Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) reported on its work developing sandwich structures with tailored, foam-injected cores. And Autodesk revealed details of its research into simulating weld line behavior in injection molding.

I will report on all of the conference presentations in next month’s CW, but suffice it to say that I was strongly impressed by the creativity, intelligence and forethought represented throughout the conference — on the podium and in the audience.

Ultimately, my takeaway message was this: Material and process specialists throughout the automotive and composites supply chain are working cooperatively and collaboratively to drive weight out of vehicles, increase fuel efficiency, build in sustainability and usher in a new generation of vehicles that promises to reshape transportation. And that’s as good a thing to wish for as I could hope.