In recent years, the demand for carbon fibres in automotive applications has grown significantly. Due to increasingly stringent fuel economy standards and other regulatory frameworks in the United States, Europe and Asia, most major automotive manufacturers are now looking to incorporate lightweight materials in their newer models.
This said, currently only a select number are using carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts because of limited design and manufacturing proficiency as well as high material and process costs associated with low volume production. The BMW Group is at the forefront of the innovative technology curve with the new i3 and i8 models. Through large scale series production volumes the company is successfully driving down the cost of materials and processes.
In the future, SGL expects that other automotive manufacturers will follow suit and demand will increase in line with greater use of CFRP parts. The company is working in close cooperation with multiple automotive manufacturers to produce carbon fibres as well as customised downstream products for the different process requirements.
Together precursor and carbon fibres are being developed to satisfy the demand for low cost carbon fibre as well as new, modified fibre properties. An additional, significant driver is the need for optimised textiles or prepregs that will effectively allow for fast CFPR production cycles, an area in which SGL Group is actively creating new solutions. Through multiple partnerships focused on different research projects, the company is developing thermoplastic materials based on carbon fibres.
SGL Group has developed a standardised, low cost production process for the manufacture of heavy tow carbon fibre. This process is currently used by SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) – a joint venture of SGL Group and the BMW Group – at the carbon fibre manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, Washington.
These carbon fibres are manufactured under tightly controlled conditions with quality systems in place similar to aerospace requirements. The quality of the carbon fibre produced in Moses Lake is very consistent, which allows for quick and efficient downstream processes.
SGL ACF is positioned to react to market demand and increased capacity if needed because of a modular approach to constructing additional carbon fibre lines. The low cost of energy in Moses Lake as well as cost efficient process controls were the chief drivers behind this development in the state of Washington.
Additionally, non-crimp fabrics have been specifically designed for fast RTM production processes. These fabrics are produced at one of the world’s largest textile manufacturing facilities in Wackersdorf, Germany.
SGL Group concentrates all its research activities in a central R&D organisation: Technology & Innovation (T&I) in Meitingen, Germany. Multiple developmental activities are also run by different legal entities of SGL Group. Examples include: Precursor research at Fisipe in Portugal, textile research at SGL ACF and SGL Kümpers in Germany, prepreg development at SGL epo in Germany as well as CFRP parts manufacturing at Benteler SGL in Austria. Together with industrial and academic partners based primarily in Germany, SGL Group is also actively involved in several multi-party R&D programmes focused on carbon fibres and downstream productions.
In the future, SGL Group sees the use of carbon fibres in the automotive industry increasing significantly as more manufacturers and suppliers develop the potential to utilise them efficiently in newer automotive models.
Large series production mandates stable, consistent processes and quality carbon fibres. Additionally, cost must be competitive for customers. Given the size and scale of the automotive market, the use of carbon fibres in this industry is likely to eclipse other applications including aerospace and wind energy in volume of carbon fibre consumed in the mid-term. However, carbon fibres are likely to remain a relatively small percentage of the automotive lightweight materials mix for mass production in the foreseeable future.