JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #119 - Supplement lnnovation report - 23

Paris, France
March 6-7-8, 2018

Automotive - Process

Mass production of CFRP
stabilizers and drop links
For the first time in a series production car,
the stabilisers on the front and rear axles are
made of carbon, as are their coupling rods,
for outstanding performance.
The weight reduction achieved is more than
55% compared to the steel version.
With the new high-speed hollow prepreg
compression moulding process, the cycle
time is less than 6 minutes, offering the opportunity to produce 220 parts per day and
70,000 parts per year.

This Innovation show that the CFRP is capable to replace the steel material in the supension successful and reduce the weight about
55% . The stabilisers is one very high dynamic stressed part from the suspension.
The new manufacturing process open the
door for car models about 70.000 cars per
year, this is a milestone in automotive composite industry. The dramatic weight reduction from 55% the car weight can be reduced
and the CO2 will be reduced as well.

Finalist: Action Composites (China)
Partners: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG
(Germany)

High-volume CFRP production: carbon rear wall module
The innovation presented is the new
Audi A8 Carbon Rear Wall Structure
which has been successfully developed
-together with Voith, DOW and Zoltek
- in a very short time and realized in a
fully automated serial production with
capacity for more than 300 parts/day.
In terms of its overall dimensions, the
ultra-high-strength, torsionally rigid
rear wall made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is the largest
component in the occupant cell of the
new Audi A8. It contributes 33 percent
to the torsional rigidity of the total
vehicle and is still 50% lighter than
before. Between 6 and 19 fiber layers
with individual orientation are stacked
one on top of the other. This ensures
a load-optimized layout (see figure 1)
to optimally absorb longitudinal and

transverse loads as well as shear forces.
With this Carbon Rear Wall Structure
Audi could realize for the first time every
design freedom that fiber reinforced plastics offer, also for high-volume production.
These possibilities within design were up
to now limited to small series and motorsport with prepreg/autoclave technology.
There is no other comparable part with
that complexity within high-volume production of CFRP.
With this overall innovative part concept
also the manufacturing costs could be reduced significantly and are now within an
economical decidable range for that segment.
Key factors for the innovation:
I) Design - Appropriate CompositeBased Design

Finalist: Audi AG (Germany)
Partners: Voith Composites GmbH &
Co. KG (Germany), DOW Automotive
(Switzerland), Zoltek Corp. (USA)

II) Material - Efficient Composite
Solution Package
III) Production - Breakthrough Serial
Production Technology

Combining CFRP and injection moulding for series production
Innovative connection between a CFRP
component and an injection-moulded carrier using an injection-moulded
thermoplastic clip (replacing an adhesive solution).

nent with PP in the injection moulding
process to create a clip connector.
No time-consuming alignment needed, thus supporting series production.

A two-step process was developed:

This results in a quick and robust
mounting method.

1. Production of a CFRP component;
2. Overmoulding of the CFRP compo-

Several hundred parts can be produced
in a single day.

Finalist: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
(Germany)
Partners: Plan B GmbH (Germany)

N° 119 supplement - Innovation Report

/ jec composites magazine

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