Composite materials are to see a greater penetration across an increasing number of components, interior and exterior systems and across more segments and markets, according to a new report. The research, carried out by Report Buyer, explains that composites have found a wide acceptance across the automotive industry due to their light weight and environmental resistance characteristics.
As costs fall, demand will increase “exponentially”
Speaking at Automotive Megatrends USA 2015, Ravi Kumar, Senior Principal and Head of Advanced Engineering Group, Infosys, explained that increased uptake of composites will ultimately be spurred by the introduction of advanced technologies that help to substantially reduce the initial costs. “In the coming years, composite design and manufacturing tools will help in reducing the engineering cycle time, reduce costs, and improve quality,” he added.
Once costs are down, demand for composites will increase “exponentially” in coming years. More specifically, Kumar believes that the US$28bn global composites market in 2014 will continue to grow “by 15-20% each year.”
The market for automotive composites can be segmented into interior, exterior, chassis and powertrain components, and others. Though exterior components see the majority of composite applications, chassis and powertrain components are emerging markets, and demand is growing at a high pace.
Currently, the penetration of composites is increasing in high-end cars, and is extending to mid- to low-end cars also. Continental Structural Plastics developed the complete body for the Chevrolet Corvette using composite materials, and Magna recently collaborated with BMW to design a carbon composite liftgate for the fully-electric i3. This lift-gate met the brand requirements not only for reducing vehicle weight, but also for appearance qualities. Advanced manufacturing and bonding processes ensured that the product could be built to a high quality and is scalable enough for high-volume production.
The rising demand for more efficient vehicles as a result of global emissions and economy regulations are noted as a major factor in the report that will be driving demand for automotive composites. Infosys’ Kumar believes that carbon composites in particular have “unparalleled” potential for lightweight construction, and he notes that the penetration of carbon composites is increasing. This assists OEMs in meeting CAFE regulations, “but costs are still too high,” he says. “Carbon composites are going to drive the availability for OEMs to meet fuel efficiency demands, but also improve vehicle performance and life-cycles,” he adds.
Driven by innovation
The design flexibility offered by composite materials is further pushing uptake across different automotive applications, including the truck market. Speaking to Automotive World, Frank Macher, Chairman and Chief Executive of Continental Structural Plastics (CSP), explained that a substantial amount of composite materials are built into the structure of a modern commercial vehicle (CV), including the body, the front end, roof and doors, and most notably, sleeper cabs. In cabs that have an eight-foot extension that provides space for the driver to sleep, the roof could weigh up to 280lb, he says. “The modified material we have developed – called Ultra Lite – can save on that particular roof about 100lbs.”
According to the report, Asia-Pacific is the biggest market for automotive composites, accounting for more than 43% of the total demand in 2013. Suggestively, there is a significant level of scope in this market due to high demand and a growing manufacturing base in the region. For example, Japanese supplier Teijin works with GM to develop advanced carbon-fibre composite technologies for use across the OEM’s cars, crossovers and trucks. The agreement involves the use of Teijin’s carbon fibre reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) technology, which it claims is a faster way to produce carbon fibre composites.
According to GM, Teijin’s technology allows for mass production of CFRTP components with cycle times of under a minute, whereas conventional carbon fibre-reinforced composites use thermosetting resins and require a much longer timeframe for moulding. The report concludes that with the emergence of more technological developments – such as Teijin’s CFRTP technology – and innovations, the global demand for automotive composites “may further augment at a higher pace.”
Freddie Holmes
