All Composites articles – Page 9
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ArticleRapid prototyping in the fast lane
Pushing the envelopeMaterial worldPast mattersFor the purposes of engineering-based manufacture, rapid prototyping (RP) is essentially the automatic construction of physical objects using additive manufacturing technology. Put plain and simple, additive manufacturing is now viewed as the first major challenger to the three traditional ways of making things that have been ...
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ArticleNew mould forming technique from GKF
Georg Kaufmann Formenbau has debuted its new moulding technology, GK LIPfi bre (Georg Kaufmann Lightweight Integrated Process fi bre). This moulding system, which combines thermoforming and injection mould processes, produces lightweight structural components from glassfi bre reinforced thermoplastic composites. These high-strength parts are 25% lighter than comparable metal components.The dynamic ...
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ArticleStill the poor relation
Adhesive advantagesDevelopments at Jaguar Land RoverBeyond sealing and reinforcingTogether forever?Sticky choicesCrashability credibilitySeventhEighthThe non-welded, all-bonded car has been mooted for years. So why have adhesives not advanced to fulfil primary joining needs?The use of adhesives in the automotive industry has increased significantly in recent years. Still, the product and procedure is ...
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ArticleStrength without sparks
Mark White, Chief Technical Specialist, Body Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover Cars, talks about why riveting is the OEM's first-choice joining methodThe body construction history of both Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles makes for a fascinating backdrop to the current trend towards the lightweight BIW. At Jaguar, with its origins ...
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ArticleWaste not, want not
Meeting internal targetsRecycling tire componentsA cost-neutral initiativePeople powerAcademic analysisHow GM and Michelin are achieving the goal of zero waste-to-landfill, what is required to set up the internal processes, and whether there is any money to be made from programmes such as theseAt the Flint South plant of General Motors in ...
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ArticleChoosing the perfect plot
Country experience makes the differenceAttracting new interestNew manufacturing modelsVehicle manufacturers must consider a wide variety of factors when choosing new sites. MAN and Ford reveal the criteria each company considered before starting construction, with a wholly-new production modelBy the middle of this year, truck and bus manufacturer MAN will likely ...
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ArticleInside track
Motorsport technology reduces vehicle weightEVs: Back to the futureConsultant roleWorking with carmakersThe motorsport industry believes that materials and powertrains developed on the track lead to better, more advanced production cars. AMS visits one of the world’s most famous motorsport technology companies to see if such claims are trueProdrive, perhaps most ...
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ArticleGreen materials from start to finish
Lightweighting by JSPEnvironmental swings and roundaboutsMaterial reuse at FordRecycling carbon fibreThe bigger pictureFlexible polymerThe quest for higher quality at the same price point or retained quality at a lower cost has driven the automotive industry forward for a century. Yet in recent times, the game has dramatically changed. Through a ...
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ArticleSustainability on show
ArcelorMittal Automotive EuropePepperl+FuchsDassault SystèmesEuchnerPilz AutomationThe 2010 Hanover Fair, themed with the headline ‘Efficiency - Innovation - Sustainability’, runs from 19-23 April, 2010, and, as in previous years, will be showcasing innovations, new developments, technologies and materials from many manufacturing areas. The three main display categories are Factory Automation, Process Automation ...
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ArticleBeauty on a budget at Farbio
Engineering for productionCunning carbon fibre solutionsSupply strategiesPaintshop and final assemblyTesting times aheadThere have been many attempts to bring exclusive, low-volume supercars to market, but the truth is that few of these projects have ever seen paying customers taking delivery of finished vehicles. Building a single, functioning prototype before funds run ...
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ArticleLightweighting the perfect body
Stiffness benefitsMulti-metal motorsBreaking the weight spiralAudi accelerates its aluminium expertiseCentre of excellenceDownmarket gainsAluminium may be the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, but it still has a long way to go if it is to replace steel as the default material for car body construction. However, some applications engineers ...
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ArticlePerformance and a greener world
Lightweight MercedesMaster of lightweightingLeightweight construction experienceAudi cuts the fatThe SuperLIGHT-CAR project lighter and leanerIn the past, aluminium chassis and bodyframing has tended to be the preserve of supercars and advanced prototypes. Increasingly, with the pressure of high fuel prices and demands for cleaner-running vehicles, OEMs are looking to the ...
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ArticleWelding wonderland
‘Olympics of Welding Technology’Trumpf, Hall 3.0, Stand 154Carl Cloos, Hall 3.0, Stand 547Fronius, Hall 3.0, Stand 302/3043M, Hall 1.0, Stand 217Sperian Welding Protection, Hall 3.0, Stand 318Schweissen & Schneiden, which translates to ‘welding and cutting’, is one of the most important shows for automotive technicians looking to peruse the latest ...
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ArticleMaterial of choice
Plastics offer a clear alternativeFuture battery powerFIM cuts production timeGood times for Chinese plastics Injection Moulding innovationsNatural composites or high-gloss plastics‘Ecological’ plasticAlmost a year since the financial crisis began, Tier suppliers continue to face major challenges in key markets. Against that backdrop, a temptation to drastically cut R&D investment is ...
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ArticleLightweight vehicles mean longlife conveyors
Need for flex – small platform sharingGM’s commodity approachMasters of global material movementConsider the changes in vehicle sizes and weights over the last few years. The Mercedes-Benz W140 (1991-1998) S-Class saloon weighed approximately 2,000kg, depending on specification; the W220 (1999-2006) around 1,800kg, and the latest model, the W221, has remained ...
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ArticleComposites in carmaking
As fuel prices continue to rise and awareness of climate change grows, one might expect carbon fibre and other lightweight composites to be at the top of every carmaker’s R&D shopping list, but things are not so simpleFrom the supercar to the super low-cost carRound and black – and a ...
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ArticleTailor made by laser
New laser joining techniques, steel grades, and how laser ablation can improve welded joinsLaser dominationFull process cost is keyPreparing to weldAchieving parity of speedThe concept of the tailored blank is generally acknowledged to have its origins back in the 1980s in the German automotive sector. Its central idea is extremely ...
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ArticleA new scheme for colour
Increasing demandThermoforming and mouldingLearning processHigh-volume productionPaint-free technology for automotive applications is moving forward at a rapid pace, driven by a need for environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternatives to traditional painting operations. Paint films provide huge benefits, such as the elimination of paint lines and their associated emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds ...
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ArticleUnder the drill
Tools for the jobReducing frictionFrom art to partSingle fixture allows for machining and inspectionExpert help is at handComposites represent a paradigm shift in materials technology for a new generation of automotive manufacturing engineers. AMS looks at the current and future challengesComposite materials provide a number of manufacturing challenges for production ...
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ArticleAbaqus advances
Dassault Systèmes has released Abaqus 6.8, its technology-leading unified finite element analysis software suite from SIMULIA. Engineers, designers, researchers, and scientists can use Abaqus to lower costs and reduce cycle times through the realistic simulation of stress, impact, crush, fluid-structure interaction, thermal dynamics, and other complex behaviours of products, materials, ...