The future of the automotive industry might well rely on carbon-fibre solutions – not only to offset the weight gain of battery powered transportation, but also to meet rigid requirements for sustainability, efficiency and safety for vehicles powered by battery and hydrogen fuel cells.
Pultrex has recently reported on the importance of using composites for weight saving in commercial electric vehicles and on carbon fibre filament winding for hydrogen fuel tanks – and this month we are proud to share the success of a bespoke system produced for Carbon TT, a company that specialises in building carbon-fibre based chassis for lightweight commercial vehicles.
iPul Technology – Full Performance Unleashed
- Production of up to 2.25 m per minute at 20 tons of pulling force.
- For large and complex profiles up to 40 tons in parallel operation.
- Wrinkle-free reforming of multi-axial roving, with customised roving guide.
- Injection box capable of fast and flawless impregnation of exceptionally large profiles.
- Closed box prevents any unwanted odors during production.
- Mold adapted to account for spring-in and shrinkage for final geometry.
- Profiles trimmed automatically to final dimensions by the system.
Carbon fibre is both a weight-saving and safety-boosting solution for eco-friendly vehicles. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) chassis is approximately 60% lighter than a comparable steel chassis resulting in lower CO2 output with increased payload and cruising range. A CFRP chassis also compensates for the additional weight of batteries in electric vehicles and effectively protects the battery in the event of a collision.
Carbon TT relies on pultrusion systems from Pultrex with iPul technology
Carbon TT specializes in building carbon-fiber-based chassis for lightweight commercial vehicles. A new iPul pultrusion system for lightweight construction profiles made of CFRP is one of the major reasons behind the success of this company. The newly installed pultrusion system, delivered by Pultrex produces profile parts for around 70,000 vehicle chassis annually.
It produces large CFRP profiles in series, which are used in high-load components for vehicles such as buses, small trucks and mobile homes. “The new iPul system makes it possible for us to manufacture components in series at a consistently high level of quality. At the same time, the system gives us another selling point in multi-axial pultrusion – there are only five other systems like this one in the world,” Gerret Kalkoffen, Managing Director of Carbon TT.
- iPul Technology makes chassis 60 percent lighter yet able to bear high loads
- Customised system
- Profile production at high speeds
- Meeting deadlines in challenging times
The corporate philosophy of Carbon TT: “We’re making vehicles lighter. This will allow them to transport higher cargo loads while using less energy.”
To find out how Pultrex’s years of expertise in CFRP could increase your manufacturing potential – give the team a call.