COMPOSITES EUROPE 2012 Blog

The first is 2.59 meters long with an efficient electric motor designed for nipping round towns and cities (top speed 120 km/h).

The second is a luxury sports car delivering  570 PS and accelerating from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.4 seconds. It can achieve speeds of up to 325 km/h. The third combines both characteristics in a 4×4 electric roadster delivering 640 Nm. All three – the Rinspeed UC, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera and the Protoscar Lampo2 – have one thing in common: they are lightweight, fuel-saving and were all unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Autosalon motor show. Their low weight and fuel consumption are possible thanks to the use of fibre composites.

Weighing only 1,340 kilograms, even the Lamborghini consumes just 13.5 litres over 100 kilometres – a very low figure for a sports car. This is scarcely surprising as “Superleggera” means “super light” – the low weight being achieved by the extensive use of exterior and interior components made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. The Swiss engineers at Rinspeed enlisted the services of Esoro AG to help them complete the UC project. Esoro manufactures car parts weighing up to 30% less than their steel equivalents using their new E-LFT process. The eye-catching body of the Lampo2 with its striking rear wheel fenders is also made from composites.

Numerous exhibitors at the COMPOSITES EUROPE trade fair – including Spheretex GmbH from Hilden and First Composites GmbH from Neuwied – are actively involved in the automotive industry and will be presenting their new products for this sector.

Spheretex has a flat textile base made from woven, knitted or fabric-type fibres which is volumised by embedding thermoplastic microspheres. It is the core product of Spheretex. The resulting end products include side walls, floors, air deflectors, bumpers, flaps, doors and alcoves fitted in mobile homes, caravans, trucks and buses. In cars and SUVs the Spheretex material is used primarily in floor assemblies, spoilers, accessories and interior parts. Hand lay-up laminate, wet pressing, vacuum infusion, RTM and RTM-light are the main production methods used.

First Composites is involved in the production of Class A surfaces in integrated parts, i.e. sandwich structures incorporating sight carbon for the automotive industry. The company has specialised in the RTM process. The focus here lies on complex components which emerge more or less ready for assembly from the mould. Over the last few years it has built up the necessary expertise both in prototype production – such as show cars or concept vehicles – and also in the production of small and medium-size series.

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