Collaborators develop thermoplastic composites
A collaborative project involving this company and an advanced manufacturing and materials startup recently announced that their thermoplastic composite lattice technology was selected Most Innovative Part by the Society for Plastics Engineers (SPE) Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition (ACCE) and was awarded the Material and Process Innovation Award by the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) for its Awards for Composites Excellence (ACE). Developed in partnership with the Clemson Composites Center at Clemson University, the material can help reduce vehicle carbon emissions, and enhancing the manufacturing process value through material cost savings.” The startup’s composite lattice reinforcement, combined with this company’s polypropylene (PP), enables lighter and less expensive thermoplastic solutions than conventional organosheet, unlocking new opportunities for the cost-effective replacement of sheet metal structures with thermoplastics throughout the vehicle. The project partners redesigned an automotive door structure from carbon fiber/PA6 organosheet to WEAV3D lattice reinforced polypropylene, achieving 23% weight savings, 50% cost savings and 62% scrap reduction compared to the original organosheet. – Braskem, Sao Paulo, Brazil