UK COMPOSITES MARKET
Automotive partnership: Consortium to develop lightweight, lower-cost, composite vehicle structures / Key roles for robotics and fast-cure prepregs
Over the next two years, a UK consortium will examine the potential for the use of high-performance composites in mainstream automotive applications. Termed “ACOMPLICE” (Affordable Composites for Lightweight Car Structures), the partnership will address the growing pressure on the volume automotive sector to manufacture lighter-weight, fuel-efficient vehicles that will meet reduced emission targets.
 ACOMPLICE will drive innovation using robotics, such as automated ply kitting techniques (Photo: Umeco) |
The consortium is being led by advanced composite materials provider Umeco (Leamington Spa / UK; www.umeco.com). Its partners are luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin Lagonda (Gaydon, Warwick / UK; www.astonmartin.com), automotive and motor sport engineering consultancy Delta Motorsport (Silverstone Circuit, Northants / UK; www.delta-motorsport.com), ABB Robotics (Warrington / UK; www.abb.co.uk) and special services machinery producer Pentangle Engineering Services (Grantham / UK; www.pentangle-eng.co.uk). The partnership has a budget of GBP 1.5m (EUR 1.9m) and is being part-funded by the Collaborative Research and Development programme of the Technology Strategy Board (Swindon / UK; www.innovateuk.org).
ACOMPLICE aims to reduce significantly the cost of composite body-in-white vehicle structures for the mainstream car market by developing pre-impregnated materials suitable for robotic lamination and fast-cure technologies. In practice, the programme will demonstrate these technologies through the rapid manufacture of selected structural auto parts.
Umeco’s role in ACOMPLICE is to develop fast-cure, highly efficient prepregs that will allow the rapid robotic manipulation and placement of individual material plies. Novel materials formatting and moulding techniques will be developed alongside these technologies in order to optimise component output rates. Umeco will also use its “DForm” deformable composite system – technology that combines the conformability of a short fibre moulding compound with the directional characteristics of a long fibre composite – in combination with novel, rapid preform technology in order to facilitate the lamination of complex geometries via automated processes.
Commenting on the formation of ACOMPLICE, Elaine Arnold, project manager, collaborative research & technology at Umeco, explained how the automotive industry is being forced to seek new technologies to comply with the ever-tightening push towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions. She added: “The outcome of the ACOMPLICE project should be able to make a significant contribution towards achieving this goal, and offer interesting solutions for this industry and others, where lightweighting is fundamental.”
ACOMPLICE is one of 16 major new research and development projects being sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board that are intended to help stimulate innovation in the UK’s manufacturing sector. They will share government funding of more than GBP 6.5m (EUR 8m).
ACOMPLICE aims to reduce significantly the cost of composite body-in-white vehicle structures for the mainstream car market by developing pre-impregnated materials suitable for robotic lamination and fast-cure technologies. In practice, the programme will demonstrate these technologies through the rapid manufacture of selected structural auto parts.
Umeco’s role in ACOMPLICE is to develop fast-cure, highly efficient prepregs that will allow the rapid robotic manipulation and placement of individual material plies. Novel materials formatting and moulding techniques will be developed alongside these technologies in order to optimise component output rates. Umeco will also use its “DForm” deformable composite system – technology that combines the conformability of a short fibre moulding compound with the directional characteristics of a long fibre composite – in combination with novel, rapid preform technology in order to facilitate the lamination of complex geometries via automated processes.
Commenting on the formation of ACOMPLICE, Elaine Arnold, project manager, collaborative research & technology at Umeco, explained how the automotive industry is being forced to seek new technologies to comply with the ever-tightening push towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions. She added: “The outcome of the ACOMPLICE project should be able to make a significant contribution towards achieving this goal, and offer interesting solutions for this industry and others, where lightweighting is fundamental.”
ACOMPLICE is one of 16 major new research and development projects being sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board that are intended to help stimulate innovation in the UK’s manufacturing sector. They will share government funding of more than GBP 6.5m (EUR 8m).
21.06.2012 Plasteurope.com [222613-0]
Published on 21.06.2012