New Project from Surface Generation

New Project from Surface Generation

Surface Generation, a provider of advanced carbon fiber processing technologies, has begun work on an 18-month research and development project to produce lightweight carbon fiber components suitable for the automotive industry. Supported by Innovate UK, Surface Generation is working with project partners to produce advanced automotive components and is utilizing its proprietary PtFS manufacturing process to leverage long fiber-reinforced carbon composite materials with short fiber thermoplastics. Surface Generation is developing solutions for the production of test coupons, sub-element components and demo materials designed to improve the performance of vehicle structures. The consortium, part of the (TOSCAA) Thermoplastic Overmoulding for Structural Composite Automotive Applications project, is managed by SGL Carbon Fibers and includes Jaguar Land Rover, Engenuity, LMAT, Nifco, the University of Nottingham and the AMRC at the University of Sheffield. The project has also secured funding exceeding GBP 2 million under government funds provided for initiatives in the United Kingdom focused on making automobiles lighter and more fuel-efficient. The advanced manufacturing techniques developed by Surface Generation are based on the proprietary PtFS process, which employs active thermal management technologies added to mold surfaces to adjust heating and cooling levels in real time for each mold area and process stage. PtFS is already being used by global automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics manufacturers to increase the quality and efficiency of compression and injection molding applications and will be further developed throughout the project. Ben Halford, CEO of Surface Generation, said: "The benefits of lightweight carbon fiber materials have been proven in Formula 1 and high-end supercars, but are generally uneconomical outside niche use cases. Surface Generation's PtFS technology will expand thermoplastic overmoulding capabilities and in doing so will create a new class of cost-sensitive automotive components that can benefit from the functional advantages of carbon composites."