Ford Accelerates Carbon Fiber Research to Drive Innovation in Manufacturing Technology
12 Gennaio 2015 - 3:15PM
Business Wire
- Ford announces new collaboration with
DowAksa and U.S. Department of Energy to develop manufacturing
innovations in automotive-grade carbon fiber for use in future
products
- High-volume, low-cost carbon fiber
components will reduce vehicle weight for increased fuel efficiency
without sacrificing strength
- Creation of Institute for Advanced
Composites Manufacturing Innovation enables acceleration of Ford
research and development of low-cost, high-volume carbon fiber
Ford and DowAksa are accelerating joint research to develop
high-volume manufacturing techniques for automotive-grade carbon
fiber – aiming to make vehicles lighter for greater fuel
efficiency, performance and capability.
The companies will be part of the newly formed Institute for
Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, created by the U.S.
government. The institute is part of the larger National Network
for Manufacturing Innovation supported by the U.S. Department of
Energy.
“Our collaboration with DowAksa and participation in this
organization significantly boosts what we are able to achieve,”
said Ken Washington, Ford vice president, Research and Advanced
Engineering. “We have a true alliance of highly talented people
working to take automotive materials to the next level.”
The mission of the institute and the goal of Ford’s
collaboration with DowAksa – a 50/50 joint venture between The Dow
Chemical Company and Aksa Akrilik Kimya Sanayii A.Ş. – is to
overcome the high cost and limited availability of carbon fiber,
while developing a viable, high-volume manufacturing process. Ford
and Dow Chemical began working together in 2012 to develop
low-cost, high-volume carbon fiber composites.
“This opportunity builds upon Ford’s current joint development
agreement with Dow Chemical and accelerates our time line to
introduce carbon fiber composites into high-volume applications,”
said Jim deVries, Ford global manager, Materials and Manufacturing
Research. “This collaboration helps us accelerate our efforts to
create lighter automotive-grade composite materials that benefit
customers by enabling improved fuel economy without sacrificing
strength.”
Ford’s expertise in high-volume manufacturing, design and
engineering complements DowAksa’s strength in producing materials
that make up carbon composites to create parts much lighter than
steel components but with no loss of strength.
“DowAksa’s technology and manufacturing expertise will help
effectively overcome barriers to entry for the use of carbon fiber
composites in high-volume automotive applications,” said Douglas
Parks, DowAksa board member and a primary participant in the
founding of the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing
Innovation. “The new institute provides a collaborative platform to
accelerate our progress.”
Carbon fiber composites have been used in aircraft and racing
cars for decades because they provide high strength with extremely
low weight. It is possible to tailor strength properties to a
specific component – making it as stiff or flexible as needed for a
given application.
“Our goal is to develop a material that can greatly reduce
vehicle weight in support of improved fuel economy for our
customers,” said Patrick Blanchard, Ford supervisor, Composites
Group. “The flexibility of the technology allows us to develop
materials for all vehicle subsystems across the product line –
resulting in a weight savings of more than 50 percent compared to
steel.”
Creating lighter vehicles is a major part of Ford’s Blueprint
for Sustainability to reduce fuel consumption and exhaust
emissions. Current products that apply a light-weighting philosophy
include Fiesta – which uses high-strength, lightweight boron steel.
The all-new 2015 Ford F-150 uses high-strength, military-grade,
aluminum alloy to help reduce overall weight by up to 700 pounds –
returning an EPA-estimated 5 percent to 29 percent better fuel
economy, depending on engine and driveline configuration on the
combined cycle, along with best-in-class payload and tow
ratings.
The Ford Lightweight Concept Fusion applied such lightweight
materials as aluminum, high-strength steel, magnesium, composites
and carbon fiber to nearly every vehicle system to reduce the car’s
weight to that of a Fiesta – a near 25 percent cut. Learnings from
this concept can springboard light-weighting technologies to a much
larger scale of production.
Ford and DowAksa also are working together to reduce the energy
needed to produce carbon fiber components, cut the cost of raw
materials and develop recycling processes.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in
Dearborn, Michigan, manufactures or distributes automobiles across
six continents. With about 189,000 employees and 65 plants
worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and
Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor
Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its
products worldwide, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
About DowAksa
DowAksa was formed in June 2012, combining the strengths of Dow,
as the world leader in epoxy chemistry and resins, and the
capabilities of Aksa, the number one producer of acrylic fibers.
The 50:50 joint venture offers high-quality, reliably supplied,
competitively priced carbon fiber for industrial usage, focused on
the transportation, energy and infrastructure markets. See more
about our capabilities at www.dowaksausa.com.
Ford Motor CompanyAlan Hall, 734.845.4410ahall32@ford.com
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