McLaren sees carbon fibre cost cuts
Heavier bundles will improve manufacturing
- Published in Technology.
High fibre diet: Heavier carbon fibre bundles will save cost
McLaren Automotive believes changes in carbon fibre production methods will make the material more suitable for automotive applications such as body-in-white.
Most carbon fibre is used to make structures for aerospace applications. The requirements of these are different to those of vehicles and changes made by the suppliers will reduce cost.
The firm uses carbon fibre reinforced composites to make the main structure of its MP4-12C sportscar, which it calls a monocell. Every bundle of carbon fibre used to make it comprises 24,000 individual filaments – it’s known as 24K fibre.
McLaren’s body structures function group manager Claudio Santoni said: “There’s a shift towards materials where you can lay down a kilo of carbon fibre much more quickly: it’s 24K now but 40 or 50K is the next development. This could reduce the cost of the fibres to around €15/kilo.”
Reducing material cost and cycle times will be critical if carbon composites are to reach volume segment applications in the future. If this happens the weight reduction potential they offer will enable OEMs to significantly cut fleet CO2 emissions.
