As the most efficient way of reducing the weight of vehicles, replacing metal with plastics is a well-established practice in the automotive and aerospace industries, and an area where
But there are limits to how far metal replacement can go: structural parts in a car's chassis or powertrain for example require performances in terms of strength and stiffness that only metal can offer. Until now.
Enabling injection molding process improvements
Observing the automotive industry's increasing need for new solutions that can take lightweighting to the next level,
Learn more about Lightweighting solutions
When exploring the possibility of non-metallic structural parts, the solution in question is the combination of
As the polymers in both elements bond together, the obtained parts combine the advantages of injection molding (namely the possibility to manufacture intricate parts with short cycle times) with extreme solidity in all types of conditions. In effect, these are high thermal resistance materials that also offer superior chemical and impact resistance: they can therefore be used for much more demanding functions. Metal was the only conceivable solution so far for manufacturing these types of parts - certain plastics like polyamides could do the trick, provided the parts are made thicker in order to obtain sufficient stiffness.
An innovative combination of materials opens new opportunities for metal replacement
As the most efficient way of reducing the weight of vehicles, replacing metal with plastics is a well-established practice in the automotive and aerospace industries, and an area where
Enabling injection molding process improvements
Observing the automotive industry's increasing need for new solutions that can take lightweighting to the next level,
Learn more about Light weighting solutions
When exploring the possibility of non-metallic structural parts, the solution in question is the combination of
As the polymers in both elements bond together, the obtained parts combine the advantages of injection molding (namely the possibility to manufacture intricate parts with short cycle times) with extreme solidity in all types of conditions. In effect, these are high thermal resistance materials that also offer superior chemical and impact resistance: they can therefore be used for much more demanding functions. Metal was the only conceivable solution so far for manufacturing these types of parts - certain plastics like polyamides could do the trick, provided the parts are made thicker in order to obtain sufficient stiffness.
The seismic shift of lightweighting
The overwhelming trend towards lightweighting is slowly but surely opening the door to fully optimized, high-performance, non-metallic structural solutions. 'Lightweighting is creating a major shift in the industry because of future regulation requirements,' continues Mark. 'On top of that, the change from petrol to electric and the push for autonomous driving gives us the chance to provide solutions for structural applications.'
In hybrid and electric vehicles for example,
A facility to demonstrate the power of polymers
Performance aside, another element is necessary in order to accelerate the transition towards composites in cars: convincing the industry that steel and aluminum aren't the only possible solutions. This means educating automotive engineers that have always considered metal as the be-all and end-all. 'It's up to us to gain their trust and demonstrate that a polymer design can fulfill the same functions as metal,' says Mark.
What better way to do that than in life-size conditions
In this field as in so many others,
And these days, the noise from the ground is quite clear: 'Manufacturers are much more open to new materials and technologies because they know they're going to need them. When it comes to lightweighting technologies, the time is definitely now.'
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