Epoxy follows the development of the fast HP-RTM: This high-pressure RTM device used by British professional car manufacturer Penso Consulting uses Cytec's fast-curing epoxy XMTM 710 to mold parts. (Image courtesy of Cytec Industrial Company Industrial Materials Division)
For resin development, Mark Steele, research and development director of the Industrial Materials Division of Cytec Industries (Heanor, Derbyshire, UK), said that an 18-month research and development project has enabled them to target the use of substructures in automotive white-body applications. Some epoxy resin chemicals that can be cured in less than 3 minutes have been developed.
But Alexander Aucken, global director of automotive at Cytec, points out that its true expansion mission goes far beyond resin formulations: 'The fast-curing material is just the foundation of the solution, but the automotive industry needs far more than just a fast-curing resin. . '
Achieving mass production requires a technical and commercial balance. Materials and designs used in manufacturing and processing must work together to create the most cost-effective solutions.
The technical factors affecting this issue include not only the processing time of the resin, toughness and glass transition temperature, but also the requirements for preforms such as high drapery fabrics, cost-acceptable carbon fibers, automation technology, recycling and sustainability, etc. .
'We are working with key alliance partners to develop basic automotive technologies that can solve all these problems.' Aucken added, 'We invest millions of dollars in new application centers that will be built into OEMs and their supply chains. Demonstrate 'integration of carbon fiber components into their current infrastructure'. '
Dale Brosius, IACMI’s chief business officer, said that the new collaboration is taking place in solving these problems: 'We need carbon fiber grades specifically targeted at automotive applications, and we need improved modeling and simulation tools to facilitate engineers and manufacturing. Business access to achieve end-to-end simulation of 'design and processing'.