ACMI project aims to decrease manufacturing costs, increase design flexibility for automotive composites

Knoxville, TN, – The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, IACMI, in partnership with DuPont Performance Materials, Fibrtec Inc. and Purdue University announces the launch of the first project selected with a dual focus on decreasing the cost of manufacture and increasing design flexibility for automotive composites. Advancements in both areas can open up new opportunities and become an enabler for large scale deployment of composite parts.

Multiple factors, including cost and design constraints, present barriers to the adoption of composites in high volume automotive applications. This new IACMI project will address both of these critical areas through a fundamentally different approach to the manufacturing of carbon fiber composites versus those currently in use today.

The work will build on synergies of differentiated technologies. Flexible coated tow manufactured by Fibrtec will be formed into flexible fabric prepregs using a Rapid Fabric Formation (RFF) technology along with a proprietary polyamide resin both by DuPont. The final component will benefit from increased production speeds of the tow manufacturing process and the fabric forming process resulting in a lower cost of manufacture. Composite parts made by this process have been shown to have low voids and good mechanical properties when consolidated by traditional techniques. The flexible fabric prepregs also have been shown to have good draping behavior in molding experiments. Researchers in the Purdue University Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center will work with the team to model and validate drapability and part performance. 

High-cycle time for production of continuous carbon fiber thermoplastic composites increases costs. The use of emerging materials for impregnation and new approaches for tow coating and fabric formation are expected to significantly lower production costs of high volume composites.

“By leveraging the strengths of all project partners, we have the potential to create a unique commercially viable path to high volume, low cost thermoplastic composite automotive components,” said Jan Sawgle, DuPont Performance Materials, project manager. 

Industry partners have been enthusiastic to engage in project proposals to leverage IACMI resources and collaborate with members on the deployment of high impact advanced composites.  

“By partnering with industry to solve manufacturing challenges, we’re advancing clean energy innovations that will help propel United States manufacturing and competitiveness,” said Craig Blue, IACMI-The Composites Institute CEO.

About IACMI-The Composites Institute: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org. 

About DuPont Performance Materials:  DuPont Performance Materials (DPM) is a leading innovator of thermoplastics, elastomers, renewably sourced polymers, high-performance parts and shapes, as well as resins that act as adhesives, sealants, and modifiers. DPM supports a globally linked network of regional application development experts who work with customers throughout the value chain to develop innovative solutions in automotive, packaging, construction, consumer goods, electrical/electronics and other industries.  For additional information about DuPont Performance Materials, visit http://plastics.dupont.com 

About Fibrtec Inc.: Fibrtec is a Texas-based emerging leader of patented advanced molding materials of exceptional high strength, low weight, continuous fiber thermoplastic composites and Carbon Nanotubes, displacing metals and other composites. It was formed: 2007 in Florida, and moved to Texas in 2013.  Fibrtec is ramping its capacity and expanding its “Fibrflex® ” patented flexible thermoplastic composites manufacturing platform and its unique capability of producing near net shape 3D preforms for the composite hungry high volume automotive applications.   Fibrflex® has a resin content tailorable to complement the target applications with the typical fiber volume fractions of 50%-60%. It is offered in

many preform types such as woven fabrics, filament wound, braided, laminates and pultruded shapes.  Find out more at: https://www.Fibrtec.com /

About Purdue University Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center:  Located in the Indiana Manufacturing Institute, located at 1105 Challenger Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47906, the Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center (CMSC) works with a range of industries to ensure they have the control of material microstructure to achieve specific stiffness and lifetime performance of their product. CMSC has simulation tools, called cdmHUB (an open-source platform) and cvfHUB (a platform for specific companies’ needs). Both cdmHUB and cvfHUB capture the phenomena in composites manufacture so the engineer can control the local fiber orientation and utilize the anisotropy and heterogeneity of these systems to achieve near optimum manufacturing and designs. Find out more at: http://www.purdue.edu/cmsc/

Media contact: Robin Pate, IACMI – Composites Institute, rpate@iacmi.org