Composite Applications

Composite / Light Weighting

Today, companies must abide by new increasingly stringent environmental regulations. OEMs have to undertake to reduce the carbon footprint of their vehicles. To fulfil this requirement, APPL global supports the automotive, railway, defence & aerospace industry, by developing high performance thermoplastics as substitutes to metal. The objective: to reduce the weight of structures and therefore help minimize their fuel consumption

Light Weighting Technologies:

  1. Injection Molding Composites
  2. Composites SMC/BMC/ RTM/ Pultrusion
  3. Honey Comb Structure
  4. Blow Molded Woodstock
  5. Technology Sheets
  6. Hybrid-Multi Material Properties

Need for Light Weighting
  • Environmental aspects - emissions end-of-life vehicle.
  • Importance of fuel economy.
  • Heavier vehicles due to luxury, safety and electrical equipment addition to standard vehicles.
Trends in Light Weighting
  • Applied Material Technologies.
  • Affordable Manufacturing.
  • Breakthrough low weight vehicle concepts.
Composite Materials
  • Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC).
  • Metal Matrix Composites (MMC).
  • Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC)

    • Further prospective:

  • Fibre Reinforced composites
  • Glass Fibre Reinforced Composites (GFRP)
  • Direct-Long Fibre Technology (D-LFT) and Long Glass Fibre technology (LGFT).
Approaches Towards Light Weighting
Light weighting is beneficial & essential, but it has issues which need to be addressed at various levels i.e.
  • Material
  • Design
  • Process
  • Use