Lightweight more and more attention

Weight is one of the important factors affect auto fuel efficiency.A CAFE standards have many feasible solutions, including use of alternative fuels, electrification, improve the transmission system, etc., and lightweight is increasingly become the main car manufacturers to promote fuel efficiency goals.

Carmakers have been by reducing dimension and engine efficiency projects to improve fuel efficiency, but as the industry gradually facing tougher rules, car manufacturers focus towards lightweighting.

WardsAuto released in August 2015 and dupont survey, lightweight as top science and technology focuses on vehicle design and engineering industries, in just a few years ago, the improvement of powertrain top the list.

But the survey also noted that the implementation of the lightweight material cost problem.Although respondents said the existing material combination to meet the needs of manufacturers and lightweight needs confidence, but as a mainstream applications, many materials price is not high.

The carbon fiber

With the development of the carbon fiber continuous supply chain, analysts predict in the mid - 2020 - car carbon fiber will be large-scale used.Lux Research, said to the car with carbon fiber composite materials market in 2020 will reach 6 billion dollars.Research institutions and manufacturers are on the establishment of carbon fiber in the supply chain and technology is widely used with great interest.

Carbon fiber at the 2015 Detroit auto show and ford unveiled new supercar GT conspicuous.High performance cars with a carbon fiber passenger cabin and the structure of the carbon fiber body panels.When executives describe a starting point, it's just our carbon fiber plan this is small batch the introduction of new technology, is committed to develop carbon fiber parts broader market practice.

Natural fiber

Some car manufacturers are creating program to design based on the biological materials or renewable materials, such as the combination of natural fiber plastic products.

When the mainstream automobile suppliers Faurecia SA sold its exterior trim business to Cie company.Plastic Omnium company, it has kept its composite materials business, the reason is that the unit is expected to grow.In addition to carbon fiber, faurecia and natural fiber marijuana NafiLean materials of project development.Supplier has been put into production and global sales, selling material design flexibility as well as weight loss potential.

A new generation of materials

Suppliers continue to develop new materials and new filling material, can provide the weight, at the same time meet the needs of manufacturers design and performance.

Gm and Continental Structural Plastics cooperation, introduced the use of Ultra Lite technology molding compound body panel, use the treated hollow glass beads to replace part of calcium carbonate.This technology was applied to 2016 Chevrolet corvette racing bike, won the society of plastics engineers automotive innovation to the highest prize in 2015.

Cooperation and development

When any part is a vehicle is a potential target for lightweight, material suppliers and cooperation between parts design personnel can bring new opportunities, in order to reduce weight and reduce the complexity.In the automobile industry supply chain can be seen more cooperation, beyond simply use plastic instead of metal parts, and try to optimize performance and simplify the assembly components.

With the development of new materials and technology, automotive supply chain to promote the wide use of its high cost performance, the plastic is still an important tool in lightweight.

In December 2015, ford announced new GT will use a gorilla glass instead of traditional windshield.The gorilla glass that sandwich material is now widely used in the global billions of smartphone screen.In addition, ford says it plans to develop technology to make it more widely used.