Publications

Recent advances in thermoplastic composite manufacturing have resulted in the development of hybrid overmolded composite structures, combining continuous fiber composites with injection or compression molded compounds; however, standard FEA techniques developed for isotropic materials and ply-based composites do not accurately capture the physical properties and material behavior of these hybrid materials.

Cost-effective Weight Reduction with Multi-material, Hybrid Length-scale Composites

Combining multi-material continuous fiber-reinforced lattices with long fiber overmolding enables lighter, stronger and less expensive structural composites
Novel composite manufacturing process enables high throughput production of multi-material and locally optimized composite lattices
FEA case study that illustrates expanded design space provided by multi-materials, hybrid length-scale composites

JEC Composites Connect is the online meeting place for the global composites community.

This first JEC Composites Connect works as an online trade show with digital booths, a conference program, networking areas and JEC Group Innovation Programs.

Within the current reinforced plastic manufacturing paradigm, a paradox exists; filled and long-fiber-reinforced plastics are cheap, but lack the mechanical properties needed to displace structural metals, while continuous-fiber reinforced plastics (“CFRP”) possess exemplary mechanical properties but cost too much to compete with inexpensive stamped steel. A revolutionary approach is needed to enable vehicle designers to bridge this gap and restart the growth of plastics in automotive structures.