ANTEC 2024 - Cost-Effective Automotive Body Structures

WEAV3D has developed a novel hybrid-material approach, Rebar for Plastics®, that combines existing thermoforming, compression molding or injection overmolding processes with woven composite lattices formed from unidirectional thermoplastic tapes to produce high-volume, low-cost structural composites. The resulting structural panel exhibits high stiffness, strength, and ductility, equivalent or better than sheet metal, while offering weight savings of up to 65% compared to steel.

In partnership with Braskem, Altair, and the Clemson Composites Center, an automotive door structure originally developed in carbon fiber/PA6 organosheet was redesigned as a lattice reinforced polypropylene panel. This highly optimized structure achieved 20% weight savings and 50% cost savings vs. the original organosheet, while also reducing trim scrap mass by 63%. The FEA design process and experimental results will be presented, as well as a cost and performance comparison against the original organosheet design.