Airtech
Published

Composites reinvent automotive

To celebrate National Composites Week, CW shares some of the latest innovations in automotive composites, from new process technologies to novel commercial applications.

Share

Source | Porsche, Alia Mentis, SABIC, Aptera

Composite materials have proven their advantages — especially their light weight, durability, corrosion resistance, and tunability compared to traditional metals — in a variety of automotive applications from high-end luxury vehicles to high-performance race vehicles to high-volume commercial applications.

Every day of National Composites Week, CW is highlighting content about a different end market in which composites are “reinventing” the industry and driving innovation. See yesterday’s “Composites reinvent aerospace, AAM and space” and follow along the rest of this week for more.

What are some of the latest ways composites are reinventing the automotive industry?

Bio-inspired rollover cage 

Porsche worked with Action Composites to design and manufacture an innovative carbon fiber safety cage option to lightweight one of its series race vehicles, built in a one-shot compression molding process.

Keys to success? A multi-tier, bio-inspired design approach.

Innovations in automotive body panels

CW contributing writer Peggy Malnati sheds light on the history of automotive composite body panels — and their challenges — and explains a versatile sandwich panel technology developed to solve decades-long exterior automotive challenge.

Want more content and the latest news about composites technology used in the automotive industry, or in other end markets? Visit CW’s Markets page.


About National Composites Week

The goal of National Composites Week (NCW) is to celebrate and bring attention to the ways that composite materials and composites manufacturing contribute to the products and structures that shape the American manufacturing landscape today.

NCW takes place each year in the final week of August and celebrates a specific theme.

The 2024 theme was Composites Reinvent the World. See what companies and individuals shared on LinkedIn and read more from the CW editorial team:

Powder Coatings for Composite Materials
Carbon Fiber 2025
Large Scale Additive Manufacturing
HEATCON Composite Systems
Release agents and process chemical specialties
ColorForm multi-component injection
Composites One - distributor
Encapsulated Sample Rheometer (ESR)

Related Content

Automotive

“Structured air” TPS safeguards composite structures

Powered by an 85% air/15% pure polyimide aerogel, Blueshift’s novel material system protects structures during transient thermal events from -200°C to beyond 2400°C for rockets, battery boxes and more.

Read More
Automotive

TPI manufactures all-composite Kenworth SuperTruck 2 cab

Class 8 diesel truck, now with a 20% lighter cab, achieves 136% freight efficiency improvement.

Read More
Pressure Vessels

Braided thermoplastic composite H2 tanks with co-consolidated molded boss areas to fit EV battery space

BRYSON project demonstrates possible designs, automated manufacturing and low permeability concepts, including EVOH liner and novel PPA matrix.

Read More
Aerospace

Improving carbon fiber SMC simulation for aerospace parts

Simutence and Engenuity demonstrate a virtual process chain enabling evaluation of process-induced fiber orientations for improved structural simulation and failure load prediction of a composite wing rib.

Read More

Read Next

How are you celebrating National Composites Week?

The composites industry will be shining a light on the importance of composites this Aug. 26-30, 2024. Save the date, and help us promote how #CompositesReinventTheWorld.

Read More
Aerospace

Composites reinvent aerospace, AAM and space

Celebrating National Composites Week, CW shares ways in which composites continue to make a significant impact in aerospace and space market developments.

Read More
Welding

Assembling the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator: The final welds

Building the all-thermoplastic composite fuselage demonstrator comes to an end with continuous ultrasonic welding of the RH longitudinal fuselage joint and resistance welding for coupling of the fuselage frames across the upper and lower halves.  

Read More
America's Composite and Advanced Materials Expo