COMPOSITES UK
Royal attendees open McLaren Automotive's CRP centre / Research association NCC aims to advance series production of car components
 The UK royal family’s William and Catherine (third and second from left) open the CRP centre in Sheffield together with McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt (fourth from left) and Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa (third from right), Bahrain’s crown prince (Photo: McLaren) |
McLaren Automotive (Woking / UK; www.mclaren.com) officially opened its second facility for carbon fibre processing, including a technical service plant, in Sheffield / UK (see Plasteurope.com of 30.01.2018). From 2019, the racing and sports car manufacturer will produce complete CRP chassis at the "McLaren Composites Technology Centre" (MCTC). For the occasion, McLaren Automotive CEO Mike Flewitt welcomed three prominent visitors to Sheffield – the duke and duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, and the crown prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The centre, which cost GBP 50m (nearly EUR 57m), aims to strengthen the local expertise in carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CRP) for car production and create more than 200 new jobs. In addition, the 7,000 m² MCTC, built on the site of a former coal mine, is expected to generate GBP 100m in gross value-added benefit to the local economy by 2028.
The centre, which cost GBP 50m (nearly EUR 57m), aims to strengthen the local expertise in carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CRP) for car production and create more than 200 new jobs. In addition, the 7,000 m² MCTC, built on the site of a former coal mine, is expected to generate GBP 100m in gross value-added benefit to the local economy by 2028.
Engel supplies manufacturing cell for overmoulding of CRP parts
Just how much effort the UK is putting into the development of the series production of CRP parts for car and aircraft construction is also shown by the installation of the first injection moulding machine at the National Composites Centre (NCC, Bristol / UK; www.nccuk.com). The integrated manufacturing cell for the overmoulding of fibre-reinforced semi-finished products comprises, in addition to a "duo 1700" injection moulding machine from Engel (Schwertberg / Austria; www.engelglobal.com) with a clamping force of 17,000 kN, a Kuka (Augsburg / Germany; www.kuka.com) jointed-arm robot and an integrated infrared oven.
With 220 scientists, the NCC – see Plasteurope.com of 16.09.2010 – is one of seven research centres in the UK's Catapult network (Solihull; www.hvm.catapult.org.uk) – which it says is a network similar to the German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and its research institutes. The NCC is focused on composite technologies for auto and aircraft construction.
High on the NCC's agenda is the greater use of thermoplastic materials, because these matrix materials make it possible to further process semi-finished CRP products in an injection moulding machine. Another target is the recycling for example of safety-relevant parts of long fibre-reinforced materials into short fibre-reinforced secondary materials, which can then be used in bench seats or instrument panel supports.
With 220 scientists, the NCC – see Plasteurope.com of 16.09.2010 – is one of seven research centres in the UK's Catapult network (Solihull; www.hvm.catapult.org.uk) – which it says is a network similar to the German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and its research institutes. The NCC is focused on composite technologies for auto and aircraft construction.
High on the NCC's agenda is the greater use of thermoplastic materials, because these matrix materials make it possible to further process semi-finished CRP products in an injection moulding machine. Another target is the recycling for example of safety-relevant parts of long fibre-reinforced materials into short fibre-reinforced secondary materials, which can then be used in bench seats or instrument panel supports.
30.11.2018 Plasteurope.com [241221-0]
Published on 30.11.2018
German version of this article...